


The Road to Hell is Paved With Good Intentions

by shivadyne



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Amagi Yukiko/Satonaka Chie (side pairing) - Freeform, F/F, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nonbinary Character, References to Illness, Self-Esteem Issues, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2018-04-14 10:06:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4560528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shivadyne/pseuds/shivadyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Holy shit, I’m screwed! So incredibly, unbelievably screwed</em>, Yosuke thought, eyes darting wildly about the room as he tended to his arm. The bleeding had stopped, but he didn’t want to tend to it with a demon right in his fucking kitchen.</p><p>And then a figure appeared in the middle of the circle, his eyes a bright, inhuman canary yellow and skin ashen white, paler than any fictional vampire Yosuke had ever seen. He wore a crown around his head, gnarled, blackened twigs twisted to encircle his skull, and his hair was unusually grey for one that seemed so ageless, so otherworldly and strange. His eyes were empty, glassy like that of the dead; when he finally spoke, that growing tendril of dread in the pit of Yosuke’s stomach spread further and further, unease dripping through his pores.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deal With The Devil

**Author's Note:**

> i made a couple adjustments, but this is mainly based on this prompt: http://notbecauseofvictories.tumblr.com/post/85641447950/phantomrose96-fic-idea-where-a-lonely-person
> 
> i keep making new stories and never finishing any of my works in progress, oops. about time i wrote something persona 4-related, though. it's been a while. i tagged it with major character death, but considering the nature of the prompt, it hopefully won't be all that upsetting.

On a quiet, uneventful Saturday evening, Yosuke once again found himself alone in his small, dingy apartment. He was playing videogames with his headphones pulled snug over his ears, volume cranked at full blast to drone out the voices of the arguing tenants next door.

He sighs loudly and drops his controller onto the floor, glaring at the GAME OVER flashing right back at him. Yosuke turns off the PS3, not even bothering to deal with the game more than he already has, and drags himself over to his laptop. He quickly takes it out of sleep mode, immediately being greeted by the past few days’ research.

 _It’s so stupid_ , he thought, closing out all the tabs. _It’ll never work._

But he’s already bought the stupid scented candles, looked up the proper symbol, and even memorized the Latin incantation. He knows there’s no backing out now, not even with the screaming voice in the back of his head telling him that trying to make a deal with the god of the Underworld is a bad idea.

He’s desperate, okay? Embarrassingly so.

So he draws the symbol on the kitchen tile, using a bright red washable marker, and turns off all the lights while putting the candles all around the room. He lights all of them carefully, sits down with the old, dusty grimoire he uncovered at one of the many local antique stores, and opens it to the page that reads DAEL-MAKING WIETH A DAEMONIC BEING in all capital letters.

Yosuke personally thought that was a little over-dramatic, but he supposed anyone in the business of grimoire-making would have to be. He read over the rules again and winced at the last one, the one that had left him wondering if it was truly such a good idea after all.

Yosuke carefully grabbed the knife and awkwardly held his hand over the middle of the circle, cutting into his arm shallowly; it was a big knife that he had chosen and it left an incision spanning the length of his entire forearm. It immediately began to well with blood and he quickly leaned his entire body forward, making sure all the blood stayed within the carefully drawn lines. 

As it dripped into the center of the circle, he began to recite the Latin words of the incantation. He spoke clearly, each word precise and giving no room for mistake, eyes darting around the room nervously as a chill rose up his spine.

With the words said, he pulled his arm out from the center of the circle and wrapped a rag around it. Yosuke looked back down at the book, read the final rule (with a lovely warning written in red ink right beneath it), and said, “Come to me now, Hades, god of the Underworld, for I wish to make a deal!”

Nothing happened for a couple moments, but there was an unusual lifelessness to the apartment that left Yosuke uneasy. It was completely silent, so quiet that the only sounds he could hear were his own breathing, and Yosuke felt very, very cold. He zipped up his jacket, retreating into its warmth and shivering at the sudden chill that had overcome him.

Before his eyes, the area around the symbol began to… die, to wither, to age beyond any possible, reasonable passage of time. The floorboards rotted, the wallpaper peeled back to expose the wood underneath, and there was the stench of death permeating the air, so nauseatingly clear that it made Yosuke’s stomach churn.

 _Holy shit, I’m screwed! So incredibly, unbelievably screwed_ , Yosuke thought, eyes darting wildly about the room as he tended to his arm. The bleeding had stopped, but he didn’t want to tend to it with a demon right in his fucking kitchen.

And then a figure appeared in the middle of the circle, his eyes a bright, inhuman canary yellow and skin ashen white, paler than any fictional vampire Yosuke had ever seen. He wore a crown around his head, gnarled, blackened twigs twisted to encircle his skull, and his hair was unusually grey for one that seemed so ageless, so otherworldly and strange. His eyes were empty, glassy like that of the dead; when he finally spoke, that growing tendril of dread in the pit of Yosuke’s stomach spread further and further, unease dripping through his pores.

“You called me, mortal?” the being, Hades, asked him with an almost curious voice and those wide, lifeless yellow eyes staring straight into his own. He looked at him like he saw an interesting specimen, something curious and unusual. Yosuke thought he also looked like he was prepared to squash him under his boot, as if he were simply an irritating bug.

“Y-yes, I called you to make a deal,” Yosuke said, curling into himself and staring up at the god with wide, horrified eyes. He was shaking minutely and tried to stop it, but there was a cold seeping deep into his bones and so, so much fear. “You are… Hades, r-right?”

“…Hades?” He mumbled, as if speaking to himself, before realization seemed to come over him. With an amused smirk that still didn’t reach his eyes, the god said, “No, I go by Souji. Humans have made up many, many names for me in the past. I’ve been called Hades, Satan, Robin Thicke, Narukami… I’ve almost lost track of all of them, honestly.”

Yosuke stared at him. And then stared some more. Then, he finally shook it off and asked, “Did you just make a joke?”

“Yes,” Souji said, smile widening and showing off his pointy, sharp teeth. Yosuke laughed nervously at the sight, backing even further away. He inquired, “Was it any good? Human humor still seems to evade me… I have a cousin, she goes by Nanako now, who is much better at understanding the way all of you little creatures work.”

“It was okay… Kinda American, though,” Yosuke pointed out before realizing that he was talking with the god of the Underworld. _Please don’t smite me to death_ , he thought worriedly.

Souji shrugged his shoulders, but then his gaze fell on the circle that he was still trapped in the middle of. He frowned, the temperature in the room dropping another few notches. Yosuke shuddered at the sudden drop, rubbing his hands together for warmth. Souji didn't even seem to notice the thin coat of ice forming on the kitchen floor. He said, “You still need to state your terms for our agreement, mortal. As a warning, the agreement always ends in me taking your soul to the Underworld a couple years early.” 

“Oh,” Yosuke said, weakly. He bit his lip, trying to remember what he had planned out; his mind had blanked suddenly under the pressure. “Just… I know this sounds pathetic. I mean, it totally is, right? But I wanted to sell my soul for you to be my friend.”

Souji stared down at the cowering young man, eyes widening minutely. He paused for a moment, as if to gather his words, and said, “I’ve never heard that before. Usually if you bring something up with me, it’s because you want world domination. It’s never something like killing your annoying neighbor or bringing back your dead dog with me. I’ll take your soul in… hmm, how does five years sound to you? I usually stick to one or two, but this is a very different type of deal.”

“F-five years?” he whispered, failing once again to stop trembling. The shaking wasn’t just from the cold now and he could be very sure of that. But then he remembered all the nights he spent alone, waiting for his phone to light up with a text, and all the times that his friends didn’t include him in their plans…

What did he have to live for? All of his friends would be better off without him. His mother would never have to worry about how he wasn’t doing anything she wanted; his father couldn’t yell at him for shaming their family by not taking up the mantle of the business. No one would care. He was just a pathetic, lonely guy.

Sardonically, he thought, _The only ones that’ll miss me are the stray cats I feed._

“Yes,” he agreed finally, mouth set in a thin, unhappy line. 

Souji seemed to see something in that gaze that made him soften imperceptibly. He gave a nod of agreement and coolly said, “Then, we have a deal. I’ll be back in a day or so, if you would be so kind as to let me out of this trap.”

Yosuke hurriedly wiped away part of the symbol and with that, Souji had gone.


	2. Magic and Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy fishsticks, batman!
> 
> i didn't expect this chapter to be as long as it turned out, but i hope it makes up for like two months of inactivity. i have a lot of ideas for this story and many of them are kind of thought up as i go so don't be surprised if there's a plot-hole or two. i was listening to sleepsong by bastille the whole time i was writing this and it really fits the story, i think.
> 
> feel free to tell me if you notice any errors and i'm always willing to hear good criticisms of my writing as long as it remains constructive. with all that aside, thanks so much for all the views and kudos!

The next morning, Yosuke woke up with an aggravated groan. The light had poured in through the slats of the blinds, filling the cramped living room with bright rays of light. He threw his arm over his eyes, trying to block out the sun, and rolled over as if he was in bed. Falling off the couch, he landed ungracefully on the carpeted floor, mumbling indistinct curse words into the ground. 

Yosuke knew he had to give in to the inevitable so he sat up slowly. Rubbing at his eyes, he glanced blearily around the room. Confused and not yet fully awake, he thought, _What the hell was I doing last night…?_

And then his eyes landed on the thick grimoire. It was resting on the end table, likely having been placed there after the ritual had come to an end. Eyes wide and hands shaking with fine tremors, he asked aloud, “That… really happened?”

No one magically appeared to tell him he was right. He wasn’t sure why, but it was kind of disappointing.

Boxing the thought away under the mental label of “Never Revisiting Again”, Yosuke stood up and glanced over at the clock. When he saw that it was 5:39AM, he sighed and tried to make himself look more presentable. With one last, skeptical look at his rumpled appearance, he grabbed his keys and rushed out the door to catch the next train.

 

 

Work was as boring as ever.

He pasted a big, fake smile on his face the entire day, spilled scalding hot coffee all over his only pair of shoes, and messed up enough orders to get a dressing-down from his manager in front of the cute new girl.

Typical.

 

 

“I bet you really impressed Saki at work today,” Chie told him after he had clocked out, smirking as she took a long drink of her coffee. 

He wrinkled his nose, disgusted by her ability to drink coffee black and to _actually like it that way_. Chie ignored him with a roll of her eyes before handing him his drink. His eyes lit up as he said, “They already have the Pumpkin Spice frappes?!”

“I guess they realized there are people like you that can’t live without it,” she said with a shrug, glancing over her shoulder and looking away quickly when she saw the pretty dark-haired barista.

“Good luck with her,” Yosuke told her in a hushed voice, allowing it to be his turn to gloat. Or, well, to be miserable in a commiserating way, at least. “I asked her out, like, at least 2 or 3 times and each time, she’d act like she didn’t even remember turning me down before!”

“Maybe you’re just unremarkable,” Chie replied, tone biting. She looked pretty annoyed, but Yosuke knew it was just because she was nervous. They’d been sitting here for at least half an hour under the guise of studying and she hadn’t even managed to look at her, let alone talk to her.

“I’m surprised you even know the word unremarkable,” Yosuke hissed back, mostly because it was a good comeback and he didn’t want to have to discard it.

“Shut up!” she said, a little too loudly. Yukiko looked over in their direction and Chie flushed in embarrassment, sinking lower into her seat. Yosuke sent her an apologetic glance, but she was too busy examining the contents of her bag in humiliated silence to notice.

She pulled out a DVD case and rudely shoved it in his face, muttering, “Here’s that movie you wanted to see, by the way. Just give it back to me tomorrow. If you break it, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Break a girl’s DVD in high school one time and she’ll never let you live it down,” Yosuke muttered under his breath. Chie just stared back at him, dead serious, and he sighed. Throwing his arms up, he said, “Yeah, yeah, okay, I’ll be careful with it. Want to hang out at my place or is your dorm trying to enforce a curfew again?”

“I don’t know why they keep trying,” she muttered irritably and he took that as her way of saying that she wouldn’t be able to come over for a while. “It’s so stupid. Everyone just finds ways around it or sleeps on the benches outside if they can’t get in.”

“Didn’t someone scale the wall just to get in last time?”

“Yeah, it was Kou’s roommate. He texted me panicking about it,” Chie replied, scrolling through her phone for something. “Aha! Found the video. Here, look for yourself.”

“…I’ll pass, thanks,” Yosuke replied. He was pretty sure Kou had texted him about that, too. Poor guy was always far too normal for Inaba. Harboring unrequited feelings for Chie hadn’t ever helped him any either, but he’d heard recently from Daisuke that he was finally moving on. “I’m gonna head home. You coming with? The next train back is pretty soon.”

“I’m gonna stay here a little longer,” Chie said, surreptitiously glancing over in Yukiko’s direction again. Yosuke sent her a knowing grin and she glared at him.

“See ya.”

“Yeah, later,” Chie said, tossing him a grateful grin in silent thanks for his support. He just grinned back, rushing out the door once he saw the time.

 

 

When Yosuke was finally nearing his apartment, he was unsurprised to see the whole street devoid of people. Everyone was probably already home by now; he suspected that they were lucky enough to not have to wait for a train with such an inconsistent schedule.

He was surprised, however, by Souji appearing right in front of him.

He had no expression on his face at all, eyes as dead and eerie as Yosuke had remembered them to be. They glinted strangely in the light, kind of reminding him of a cat he’d seen a couple days ago. Souji asked, “Who was she? Your girlfriend?”

“No, a friend,” Yosuke replied, fighting off the rising urge to just go hide in a corner for a couple hours. Maybe years. He took a sharp right, hoping to lose the god, but was unlucky enough to find that the jerk kept up easily. It was one thing to make a deal with Souji when he was feeling his worst and another to have to consider the consequences. He blurted out, “Are you going to stick with your side of the deal? I don’t really know much about this kind of thing. That grimoire I used is really vague and filled with unhelpful information.”

“What kind of information?” the god asked, curiously. He was floating a few feet off the ground now and Yosuke glanced around them uneasily. Noticing the human’s unease, the god returned to his feet again with a sigh. He complained, “Humans are so unwilling to deal with the supernatural. At least there aren’t any more witch burnings lately, I suppose. Hated those. The paperwork was unbearable.”

“Answer my question,” Yosuke said with an annoyed glare, not really wanting to hear a diatribe on humanity’s biggest flaws. And as an afterthought, he added, “According to the grimoire, vampires are really vain and the best way to keep them from draining you dry is to compliment their fashion sense.”

“Completely untrue. They’ll thank you and then drain you dry anyway, I’m sure,” Souji dismissed with a roll of his eyes. “And yes, yes, I’ll uphold my end of the deal. If I don’t, your soul is forfeit and I don’t get to take it until your right time, whenever that may be.”

“How… reassuring,” Yosuke said with a sigh, running his hands through his hair. “I’m so glad to know that vampires are real, too. What else is real? Brownies? Leprechauns? Those dogs with human faces?”

“Do you really want me to tell you?” Souji asked, floating into the apartment and glancing around with a look of pure disdain on his face. 

Yosuke rolled his eyes and said, “Stop glaring at my apartment. The rent’s cheap.”

“I apologize,” Souji said, completely unapologetically. He remained floating about a foot above the ground, shifting into a more comfortably seated position.

Yosuke paused to give him a bewildered look before he drifted off into his room, closing the door and changing into more comfortable clothes. He re-entered the room to find that Souji hadn’t moved an inch, his chest not even rising and falling to show any signs of being alive. Running a hand through his hair nervously, he asked, “Do you eat?”

“If I feel like it,” Souji replied coolly, untucking his feet and gliding over to look at the grimoire. He hummed discontentedly as it shook in his hands, emitting a low, discordant whine. He placed it back down and drifted over to the kitchen to stand at Yosuke’s back. “Why?”

“Quit breathing down my neck,” Yosuke grumbled, swatting in his direction almost half-heartedly as he tried to figure out what to make. “I happen to need to eat and I thought I’d make you something, too. Since you’re a god or something, does that mean you don’t have any allergies?”

“Technically I’m not alive,” Souji said, tone as dull as a butter knife. His eyes flickered briefly, darkening with what might have been a hint of life, and Yosuke glanced up at him nervously when the air around them abruptly cooled. “I’m allergic to shellfish, or at least I used to be at any rate.”

“No lobsters for us, then,” Yosuke joked weakly. His eyes kept darting towards the wall nearest to Souji. The god looked over to see that the wall had pealed back to show the splitting wood underneath, shards of ice forming in the spaces left in-between.

“I apologize,” Souji told him, waving a hand to turn back time to its original state and remove the ice beginning to cover the floor as well. “Strangely enough, I’ve never been one for fire and brimstone, not even when I’m in the Underworld. It’s all ice and lightning, never flames.”

“I’m more shocked by your affinity for magic,” Yosuke muttered, having already moved onto chopping up ingredients after he had gotten over the initial shock. He quickly moved them into the pan and muttered, “Stir fry good with you?”

“Yes, stir fry is acceptable. I believe you have magic as well,” Souji responded, having resumed his irritating hovering. Yosuke resisted the urge to swat at him again, feeling a wave of cool air from where he was sure the god stood. “I don’t sense it in most people. I sensed it in three of you, even a very weak one in that Saki woman, but you have a curiously strong core of magic.”

“Are you saying I can do something like you can?!” Yosuke spluttered, barely keeping his attention on their food. “That’s ridiculous.”

“In time, perhaps. Your luck at finding that grimoire tells me that your magic is a little different from mine,” Souji muttered, glancing at it out of the corner of his eye. “And summoning me should have taken much more out of you, but with your magic, it was likely much less tiring.”

“My luck at finding the grimoire?” he asked, shifting around the food in the pan and making sure that everything was getting cooked properly. “What’s luck have to do with magic?”

“I sensed traces of a spell on the grimoire, much different than that of the original owner. Their spells were mostly malevolent or protective and very, very strong. Your spell, however, was weaker and obviously done unintentionally. I’m guessing you found the book right away even though there are multiple antique shops, all filled to the brim with books that look just like this one and are very likely not the real deal. Am I right?”

“Okay, wow, that is really, really weird and completely true on your part. I can’t believe I thought it couldn’t get any weirder than last night with a god around,” Yosuke said, transferring the food into two bowls and handing one to Souji. He sat down at the table and began to eat, finishing off a few bites before asking, “So, wait. You said you use ice magic and lightning magic. Does that mean my magic will be specific like that, too, if it actually exists?”

“I won’t know until you use your magic,” Souji replied, pausing thoughtfully before he said, “I could probably teach you how to, but I’ve never taught a human about magic before so it may be a rough experience on us both.”

“That’s fine, I guess,” Yosuke said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that I have any magical talent, though. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Maybe one of the customers had that magic and you just mixed us up.”

Souji glanced over at Yosuke, taking in the barely-restrained magic that was now swirling around his form, pulsing almost like it was alive. It drifted closer to its host, wrapping around him like a protective net. Pausing to chew and swallow the bite that he had in his mouth, he finally said, “No, there can be no mistake. It’s all yours, Yosuke, and it’s one of the most stunning things I have ever seen.”

Yosuke stared at him, speechless. _Stunning?_


	3. Where No Man Has Gone Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, i wanted to thank everyone for all the comments, views, and kudos!! i really appreciate it. :)
> 
> uh, not a lot to say about this chapter actually... if anyone's wondering about what gods nanako and dojima are, dojima is hyperion (brother of cronus) and nanako is eos (daughter of hyperion). cronus is the father of hades so it all works out pretty well, i think. 
> 
> if anyone noticed any errors in, well, anything, feel free to bring them up to me!

Yosuke was fairly busy for most of the month, stuck juggling his shifts and occasionally taking over for Saki. All she needed to do was fix him with that apologetically flustered look and he took it hook, line, and sinker. On top of that, his classes had finally started up and he was more concerned with studying than what Souji could teach him.

And then Souji appeared one particularly uneventful weekend, looking to be either quite pleased with himself or utterly enraged at the incompetency of the masses. His expressionless face made it a little hard to tell.

Yosuke hadn’t seen the god that much lately. Both their schedules had been in a state of disorder with Culture Day approaching fast (and when he had asked why Culture Day was such a big deal in the Underworld, Souji only muttered something about “Americans and their early Halloween demon-summonings” so he didn’t bother to inquire any further.)

“What is it?” Yosuke asked him curiously. He was awkwardly curled up around the grimoire, back pressed up against one end of the couch. He’d been skimming through the section on spells, wondering if he could try any of them out or if he should just wait for Souji. There were a couple cool ones, though he was aware they were way above his level.

“I was working out a spell for dimensional travel,” Souji explained to him, floating a little higher in the air as he spoke. He glanced over at the grimoire curiously, leaning over Yosuke’s shoulder to make out the words. Pulling back, he asked, “Why are you looking at spells?”

“Was just curious,” Yosuke said, closing the grimoire with a thud and coughing when a cloud of dust rose up to follow it. He tossed the grimoire down next to him, watching disinterestedly as it bounced against the cushions a moment before settling. Turning around so that he could peer over the back of the couch, he said, “Now tell me about this spell of yours.”

“Well, I already know how to travel back and forth between a couple dimensions. I’ve been around the Underworld, Earth, Olympus... I’ve even snuck around the Isles of the Blessed a couple times, even if I was caught once or twice by Hy— er, Dojima,” Souji explained, grimacing at the memory. “But now I can just think of what type of place I want, say the spell, and then it will try to find the dimension that’s most suitable. Cool, right?”

“I’m starting to think you just like to hear yourself speak,” Yosuke commented, sighing as he turned around and stood from the couch without any further complaints. He grabbed his coat, shrugging it on, and then slipped on his sneakers. Slipping the grimoire under his arm, he asked, “Where to?”

“I might’ve wanted to wait, you know,” Souji told him, even as he concentrated on an area that would be good for magical training. He pictured somewhere safe and large with no life to endanger. Once he held the image firmly in his mind, he spoke the words to the spell, the strange, guttural sounds slithering up his throat and sounding wholly different from the few incantations that Yosuke had picked up. “Should be here any minu—”

“It’s already open,” Yosuke told him, gesturing towards the portal that stood before them.

“Oh.”

“Yes, now let’s go,” Yosuke urged him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling the god through onto the other side. His eyes widened when he took in the world around them.

It was… barren. The sky above them was dark and fathomless, as black as the void. A thick fog hovered above the trees, the world high above their heads nearly indistinguishable. _What a colorless place,_ Yosuke thought as he took a seat on the hard, rock ground. Even the trees were different. They stood tall, at least five times Yosuke’s height, but weren’t all that steady; their black, sinewy branches arched out in complex formations, but some of the trees seemed to wobble ever-so-slightly, their balance so precarious that it appeared even a simple push could make them fall.

 _Wait a second, are those leaves… melting?_ He scooted back a couple inches, staring at the pile of goo on the ground distrustfully. His gaze drifted back up to the leaves and he found that they were indeed melting, even as new leaves sprung back into place.

“This place is really creepy, man,” Yosuke said, startled at the sound of his voice echoing around them. He bit his lip, holding his grimoire up to his chest as his eyes darted around the area nervously. “Are you sure it’s completely empty?”

“Should be,” Souji agreed easily. He seemed at ease, unbothered by their surroundings. Settling down next to Yosuke so that they sat together shoulder to shoulder, he glanced over at the grimoire thoughtfully and asked, “Did you have any trouble with incantations?”

“Not really,” Yosuke said. “I mean, once I get the words right, I get results immediately.”

“And you thought you didn’t have any magic in you,” Souji muttered, fixing him with a blank stare that was probably judgmental but only amped up Yosuke’s feelings of unease. “I want you to try using spells, but pick a couple of each type so we can get an idea of your strengths. After that, I can probably teach you how to sense your magic since I’ll know what to look for.”

Yosuke nodded, picking out a few and chewing on his thumbnail as he decided on what would work best. He perked up at the sight of fire magic and tried an incantation, but frowned as a mere spark appeared and then faded out into nothing.

“Not fire, then,” Yosuke mumbled, trying out ice next. Nothing. He moved onto lightning. Zilch. Light? Not happening. He tried dark magic and sighed when it nearly exploded in his face. “Definitely not dark magic, either.”

“Try healing,” Souji suggested, pointing out a spell. His newfound position made it look like he was lying on a bed. It would’ve been a little less strange if he wasn’t floating a couple inches above Yosuke’s head. “Dark magic tends to drain your health a little if you mess up with it.”

Yosuke nodded and tried it out, relieved at the surge of his magic rising up to the surface. He grinned, pulling up his jacket and looking down at his arm. After summoning Souji, he remembered having to treat his bleeding arm while nearly passing out from exhaustion. It had left an uneven, long scar along his arm. His skin now, however, was completely unmarred, flesh knitted back into place without a hint of scarring to be seen. “It worked!”

“Let’s try for one more,” Souji said, leaning over to peer at the book. He nearly touched it, but pulled his hand back at the last minute before it could zap him. His yellow eyes flashed gold momentarily and Yosuke stifled a laugh at the god’s obvious vexation. “Try a type of weather magic. Those might work for you.”

Yosuke looked over the options, skimming past storm-related magic and more with ease until his eyes finally landed on wind magic. Something in him seemed to just click when he saw the spell and he said the words almost on instinct, shocked when a strong gust of wind blew into the tree. He could only watch as it tipped backwards, uprooted completely from the ground before it fell over with a dull thud.

Yosuke walked over to examine the tree and was surprised to see that it had been cleaved neatly in two halves. He frowned down at the tree for a moment, noticing how a pool of tar was forming before him. _The leaves must’ve melted together,_ Yosuke thought, watching as it grew and grew until it finally began to form into a solid shape, an eerily masked face appearing before him.

“What the fuck is that!” he shouted when the masked creature, strongly reminding him of those ghosts from Spirited Away, turned to look at him. Yosuke stumbled and fell down hard, landing on his ass when the creature moved towards him. His wide eyes tracked the figure in a mixture of disgust and fascination, frozen on the spot and unable to force himself to back away.

The tar surrounding the creature began to swirl around it as it transformed, molding itself with a colorful, rounded design. It approached with a loud, angry hiss, but before it could attack, Souji was there standing tall and unphased between them. 

He struck at it with lightning almost as if by instinct and the creature recoiled. Before it could flee, however, Souji’s eyes went bright and shiny. Yosuke could feel the static in the air as the creature was blasted, unable to tear his eyes away as it withered up and faded away, leaving no traces of its existence behind.

“Are you okay?” Souji asked, turning away after watching that same spot for another minute and seeing nothing amiss. He offered a hand to Yosuke and he took it gratefully, allowing the god to pull him to his feet. Souji quickly checked him over for injuries, pleased to see that there were only a couple scrapes and bruises but nothing serious.

Prying himself out of arm’s reach, Yosuke brushed himself off. Tossing Souji an uneasy grin, he said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, man, I wish I would’ve tried to help out or something. I just kinda,” he shrugged sheepishly, “… froze up.”

Souji opened his mouth to reply, probably with something insulting to humankind in general, but before he could speak (and get punched in the shoulder by Yosuke for the insult to his humanity), a high-pitched voice shouted out, “Wow! You’re amazing! How’d you do that?!”

Yosuke whirled around in surprise, shoulder knocking harshly against Souji’s chest as he moved to face whoever had spoken to them. His eyes landed on a strange figure. It was a man in a tacky bear costume, a huge grin plastered on its face. Shocked, he stumbled over his words as he asked, “W-what the hell is—what’re you doing here?!”

“I live here,” the bear stated, sounding about as confused as Yosuke. “And stop yelling at me!”

“I didn’t know anyone lived here,” Souji said, even as he shoved Yosuke behind him. When he received a venomous, offended look for his efforts, he simply ignored the human and asked, “What was that thing?”

“I’m… not sure,” the bear replied, looking almost despondent as he admitted, “I’m usually all alone… It’s beary unusual for anyone to be here, especially not someone as strange-looking as the both of you! I think there used to be more of those things, but I can’t remember… It’s been un-bear-ably quiet lately.”

“You could come back with us if you took off that weird suit,” Yosuke suggested, looking torn between sympathy and the idea of spending a couple minutes of hyperventilation behind the nearest boulder. Souji seemed to consider the point before shrugging and nodding his head in agreement. “And quit it with those bear puns, would you?”

“I… I could try to become like you! I can't take this off because I'm not wearing a suit,” the bear replied, obviously pleased at the idea. Yosuke looked like he wanted to test that out, but subsided when Souji didn't budge to let him pass. Teddie didn't seem to notice, turning to face Souji instead. “Will you come and visit me again? I don’t like to be here all on my own. Oh yeah, and you guys can call me Teddie! What should I call you?”

“I’m Souji and he’s Yosuke. If I can’t make it for a visit, I’ll send my cousin Eo—Nanako here in my place,” Souji told him as they retraced their steps back to the still-open portal. “I’d leave this portal open, but I don’t trust humans with them. They tend to flock to new things and marvel over them which is all good and fun until someone decides to start sacrificing goats and virgins and tosses them through…”

“Are you… talking from experience, Souji?” Yosuke asked as he stepped through the portal, glancing around the room and seeing that it remained as unchanged as it was before he left. 

“Maybe,” Souji admitted. Through the portal, he said, “I’m going to close it now, Teddie.”

“Okay! See you guys later,” Teddie shouted back, voice tinny and warbled but distinguishable enough for them to understand. Souji closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating, and the portal closed off before fading out of their sight.

“I think that’s enough adventure for me today,” Yosuke mumbled, flopping back onto the couch. Souji floated so that he was hovering above him. Yosuke cracked an eye open to look at him. “Ugh, that’s really creepy. Want some curry? I think I have some leftover from last night…”

“Okay,” the god agreed, but didn’t make any move to get it.

Yosuke sighed and stood up again, moving over to the fridge and pulling out the curry. He asked, “Are you ever going to stop being afraid of my fridge? It just holds food, like there’s really no reason it should freak you out that much.”

“It’s cold,” Souji said. “And possibly sentient.”

“Yes, that’s the point, but ixnay on the entiencesay. Thanks for the in-depth analysis of kitchen appliances, though. Why don’t you go ahead and explain the blender next?”

Souji just stared at him, unmoving and marginally confused by the usage of pig latin. Yosuke sighed and started heating up the curry.


	4. Divinity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaand i am finally starting to introduce the rest of the gang! i have some fun ideas for each of them, but i won't say what they are until everyone's been introduced. you guys can make guesses if you want, though.
> 
> thanks for all the comments, kudos, and views! it makes me very happy to know that you guys like my writing.

_Fuck,_ Yosuke thought as he fell out of his meditative state again for what felt like the 80th time in the past hour. He collapsed back against his pillows, staring up at the ceiling and picking out a web of cracks in the wall, starting from the water-damaged section of the ceiling that he hadn’t been able to get fixed. He frowned at it, thinking, _Hope that doesn’t leak._

Sighing through his nose, he rolled over and dug around for his phone. Finding out that it wasn’t where he last left it, he leaned over the edge of the bed and plucked it up from the floor with a short sound of annoyance. He flipped it open, immediately greeted by the numbers 6:19PM.

“Ugh, why’d I tell Saki I’d cover half her shift until closing time?” Yosuke asked himself, maybe a little plaintively because he was _such_ a sucker for pretty people and he really should have grown out of that after high school ended. He stood up, glancing down at his moth-eaten shirt and loose sweatpants with a sigh.

He dug around in his closet for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that hadn’t looked like it was mauled by evil, evil little insects that had a liking for cotton. He changed quickly, an act which involved a lot of hopping around with only one leg in his jeans as he tried to find where he’d last tossed his shoes. Now fully dressed, Yosuke snatched his keys off the counter and grabbed a muffin off the stove before he was off to catch the next train into town. 

 

 _Shit, it’s cold in here,_ Yosuke thought, already wishing he’d thought to wear long sleeves. There was a little bit of a lull in customers and there probably still would be for the next half hour or so.

Chie was sitting on one of the tables, chatting away with a pretty lady wearing sunglasses and a scarf that hid nearly half her face. The lady looked kind of familiar, almost like he’d seen her on TV before, and he gave one more lingering, contemplative glance in her direction before he turned his attention back to his coffee.

He took another sip, wincing internally at the bitter taste. It would keep him awake, though, which was all that mattered since he’d be up studying for half of the night with that exam coming up soon and the terrible shifts offered to him by his unforgiving manager.

Chie came back over his way, flashing the woman she had been talking to a bright, happy smile. The smile was returned, but Yosuke thought it looked more like a grimace with the dark circles under her eyes and the almost sad air that seemed to hover around her. He pushed the thought aside to contemplate later, more curious about her identity than anything else.

Yosuke drained the rest of his coffee and tossed it into the trash bin under the counter before asking, “Who’s that, Chie?”

“A new friend,” Chie replied easily, biting back a yawn. She looked tired, just as much as Yosuke himself probably looked, and he handed her another cup of coffee. It was still warm to the touch, having been made around the same time as he’d made his own. She took it gratefully, tossing him a sliver of a grin before she downed it in one go and then tossed it into the trash as well. “Her name’s Rise. She’s been having a tough couple of weeks. I’ve seen her around here a lot, just kind of… staring at an open Word document.”

“Oh, I know that feeling,” Yosuke said, grimacing in remembrance of his own essay that was due in, like, a week. He had maybe a paragraph written and he needed to write at least 5 pages. He glanced over, watching as the woman packed up her laptop and left. “You think she might be a writer or something?”

“Probably,” Chie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “She was pretty upset over deadlines today.”

Before he could ask anymore, a customer entered the store and they both pasted extremely fake smiles on their faces. _Oh, joy,_ he thought as a busy woman followed in after, a phone hanging from her ear and an impatient scowl resting upon her face. _Just what I love, customers._

 

Yosuke was in the middle of getting together an order for a group of teenage girls when he began to feel strange. He could see them in the distance, all huddled together with bright smiles and loud laughter. He wondered at that, mostly because it was unusual for them to be here so late, but still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that was growing in the back of his mind, like he expected something to happen and for it to happen right _now._

He froze suddenly, shuddering in revulsion at the feeling of something cold seeping up his spine. His breath was materializing before him in white puffs of air and just as quickly as it came, it suddenly stopped and the chill died away. Yosuke tried to shake off his sudden unease, even as he caught the door to the café opening and spotted a tall, intimidating figure making his way over to the back of the line.

He gave the girls their drinks, tossing them a bright, happy smile of his own that was definitely faked and felt a little relieved to see them leave. At least if something really bad was going to happen, they wouldn’t get hurt.

Yosuke was relieved that Chie was the one taking orders. That relief faded as he approached Kanji, if his name written on the cup was anything to go by, with a warm, steaming to-go cup of tea. He smiled at him, handed it off, and then hastily made a retreat because his head was killing him.

One thought kept nagging at his mind. _Is he supernatural?_

He kept working, but couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was watching his every step. All Yosuke could hope for was to get back home and away from Kanji’s intimidating stare. 

 

His shift was officially over and he let out a sigh of relief. Standing up, Yosuke stretched out his shoulders and watched as the rest of the customers filed out. He noticed that one of them seemed to linger outside the doors and forced down the brewing feeling of panic that was rising to overcome all his other emotions.

 _It could be nothing,_ he thought, pulling off his apron and hanging it from the hook as he cleaned off the tables. _Maybe he’s just waiting for someone._

“I’ll handle closing up,” Chie offered from where she was cleaning off the counter and shutting down the machines. She looked a lot more awake now, he noticed.

“Oh, thanks, Chie,” he said, a little surprised. Chie was usually the one person who refused to close up. Yosuke had asked her about it once and she admitted that it was creepy being in a dark café all by herself. A little concerned, he asked, “Sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yukiko’s meeting me here in a couple minutes,” Chie admitted sheepishly.

“Finally talked to her?”

“Yeah,” she said, nodding her head.

Yosuke took the short reply as his cue to leave and sent her a cheerful wave before he left. He was prepared to book it back home as fast as he could, but a quelling hand landed on his arm and he looked up into the scowling face of what used to be Inaba’s resident delinquent, ignoring the nervous squirming feeling in his stomach.

“Need something?” he asked, aiming for polite and ending up sounding kind of irritated. _He’s so gonna kick my ass._

“Uh, yeah, I wanted to talk to you,” Kanji said, voice quiet even as his glare remained. He looked nervous, now that Yosuke had a good look at him, and he kept shifting from foot to foot like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Sure,” he agreed after a thoughtful pause. “I’m guessing this is one of those,” he paused to waggle his fingers in a manner that was meant to refer to magic, but probably just looked like a pitiful attempt at jazz hands, “ _things_ so do you want to talk about it somewhere with less people?”

Kanji nodded and silently followed him to the nearby park. They sat down, side by side, and just as Yosuke expected, there was next to no one there. He spotted an older man sitting on a bench on the other end of the park, but that was about it.

“So what is it you needed to know?”

“You’re a… mage, right?” Kanji asked, hesitantly. He kept fiddling with his clothes and avoiding eye contact, completely erasing the normally intimidating image that he would be airing.

Yosuke shrugged his shoulders and said, “Something like that, yeah. Not sure of the proper terminology. My magic freaked out a little about you so I’m guessing you’re something supernatural, too?”

“A demigod,” Kanji told him, straightening abruptly. He turned his eyes to Yosuke, brusquely pushing off his anxiety, and asked, “Do you know anyone who could tell me more about it? This stuff’s all pretty new to me, y’know? And, uh, I think I’m being followed around by someone so I could really use some help.”

“I might know someone,” Yosuke said, nodding his head. “I’m new to this whole thing, too, and he’s been helping me figure out my magic. I can ask him about it at least.”

“Awesome!” Kanji boomed, grinning brightly at that. Yosuke jumped in his seat, shocked by the loud outburst. “Want to trade numbers? I’m not usually around here since I’m usually busy at my Ma’s place.”

“Oh, yeah… That textile shop, right?” Yosuke asked, receiving a pleased nod in return. They switched phones, inputting their numbers and then handing them back to each other. Yosuke glanced down at the time on his phone and stood with a sigh. He said, “Sorry, Kanji. Gotta go catch the train back home. See you later, dude.”

“Thanks for this, man,” Kanji said, standing as well. He glanced down at his phone and murmured, “You’re Yosuke? I think I remember you…”

“Yeah, uh, I was known as the Junes kid,” Yosuke admitted, fighting back the grimace that he knew was probably still forming on his face. “Anyways, sorry, I’ve really gotta catch that train. The next one after it’s, like, an hour later so…”

Kanji nodded understandingly and waved him off. 

 

Yosuke kicked off his shoes and headed into his room, flopping down on the bed immediately. He groaned tiredly into the covers, wanting to do nothing but sleep for the rest of his life.

He heard chuckling coming from somewhere behind him and blearily turned his glare on the god now perched on the side of the bed, wondering how exactly the guy could even laugh while still looking completely expressionless.

“Hey Souji,” he mumbled, biting back a tired yawn. He didn’t bother to move, too comfortable to even contemplate it, and asked, “D’you think you could help a demigod out?”

“The one day I’m not shadowing you, you end up meeting a demigod?” Souji asked him, sounding like he wasn’t sure whether he should be exasperated or fond.

Yosuke simply shrugged his shoulders, burrowing further into the warmth of his bed and wondering if it would be worth it to slide under the covers. He remembered that he was supposed to be spending the next couple of hours studying, but he was so exhausted that he didn’t think he’d be able to remember anything anyways.

“A lightning demigod,” Souji amended. “The newer ones do tend to drain you of energy.”

“Mrgh,” was Yosuke’s response. He thought he felt someone moving him under the covers, but he couldn’t tell for sure with how tired he felt. There was a warm arm being thrown over his shivering form and at the feeling of warmth pressed up against his back, he fell into a restful sleep.


	5. Yosuke and the Holy Grail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while, hasn't it? i had this chapter already planned out, but i didn't really have the motivation to write it for a while. i'm starting to get my urge to write back, though, so hopefully i can continue working on this for everyone who likes it.
> 
> sorry if anyone seems ooc. i haven't wrote much with certain characters. that might be kinda obvious.
> 
> anyways, thanks for all the views, kudos, and comments! and an additional thanks to everyone who has been keeping an eye on this story, even though i haven't updated in such a long time.

A loud, cheery ringtone roused Yosuke from his slumber.

He groaned loudly into the pillow, turning slightly to grab at his phone. A glance down proved that there were a set of arms wrapped around him, but he was too tired to even think about panic and just moved to silence that damn phone.

“Hello?” Yosuke asked, his eyes closing of their own volition. Forcing his eyes back open, he pulled himself up onto his elbow. Glancing over at his side, he noticed that Souji had been bodily moved with his rising due to the strange fact that he was wrapped around him like an octopus. _Creepy… It doesn’t even feel like he weighs anything._

“Uh, hey, it’s Kanji. I was just wondering… Do you think your friend could meet me today?” Kanji asked him. His voice had wavered slightly near the end. _I can’t believe I used to think this guy was so scary in high school._

“I’ll ask him,” he said, poking Souji in the side. The god tensed for a moment, but cracked open an eye to stare blankly at him. Covering the receiver with his hand, he asked, “That demigod I was talking about… He wants to meet up with you today. You got any plans?”

Souji seemed contemplative for a moment, likely having many, many plans, before shrugging his shoulders. He finally said, “Most of my plans can be delegated. I’ll have to arrange some things first, but where should I show up?”

“Uh… you know where I work, I guess, so why not there? I’m on break at around 2,” Yosuke told him, pulling the receiver back to his ear to relay the news to Kanji. He glanced back over to see that Souji had fallen back asleep and rolled his eyes. _So much for arranging things if he’s already sleeping again._

Kanji voiced his agreements, but then went silent for a moment. Eventually, he choked out the words, “T-thanks, Yosuke. For the help. If you ever need me to sew you something up, just come down to my Ma’s and I’ll do it for free, alright?”

“Thanks, man,” Yosuke replied, grinning despite himself. “We’re cool. It’s kinda nice to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t know anything about all this crap.”

They voiced their goodbyes. Yosuke closed his phone, dropping it back at his side, and laid back down only to find that he was now wide awake.

“Great,” he grumbled, glaring blearily at the wall.

It was starting to feel uncomfortably warm under the covers. Yosuke tried to shove his way out of Souji’s grip, but found that it didn’t do much good. The god blinked his way awake once more, staring blankly at the human he’d accidentally trapped with his limbs. He released him and continued to stare blankly at him.

“That’s real creepy, just so you know,” Yosuke pointed out, rising out of the bed with a loud, jaw-cracking yawn. He wiped at his eyes, ambling towards the kitchen and knowing that the god was probably following him. “Do you think you’ll be able to act human, Souji?”

Sounding extremely affronted, Souji replied, “Of course I’m able to act like a human. I am the god of the Underworld. I could make myself appear mortal with ease,” and then Souji blinked, suddenly staring back at him with grey irises, “but of course, only if I wished to.”

Then, he vanished as suddenly as he’d appeared the night before.

Yosuke rolled his eyes at his leave, not even pausing in spreading butter over his toast. “What a drama queen,” he mumbled, devouring his breakfast quickly before he rushed to get ready for work.

 

Yosuke made it to work in time, though a quick glance at the clock informed him of how lucky that was. He made his way around the counter and saw Saki was already starting to wipe it down before the customers arrived.

He could tell just by looking at her that Saki’d been having a very, very bad day. Her hair was pulled back messily and her eyes were red around the edges, though he wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion or crying with how pale she was looking.

“Saki, are you alright?” he asked her, taking the rag from her hands and finishing wiping down the counter.

She just stared back at him tiredly for a moment, almost as if in incomprehension, before she nodded. Not sounding very convincing, she said, “I’m fine, Yosuke… I just didn’t sleep well last night. My brother…”

“Want me to cover for you tomorrow? You could visit him at the hospital. I’m sure it would make you feel better,” he offered. Before everything that had happened, he might have been doing such a thing to get into her good graces. As time dragged on and Saki’s brother didn’t seem to be getting better, her mental state had worsened to the point where the only thing on his mind was sympathy.

“Thank you, Yosuke,” Saki told him, her eyes welling with tears. She quickly brushed them away, never one to show her true feelings even when she was at her absolute worst. “You’ve done so much for me. Next time I’m at the shop, I’ll get some of the good sake for you, okay?”

“You don’t have to, Saki,” he said, glad to see her looking a little less unhappy. “Think of this as repayment for all the times I hit on you when you first started working here.”

She laughed, wrinkling her nose as she said, “I was really annoyed with you for a while. I would've been angry, but your lines were _so_ cheesy...”

Their conversation came to an end, however, because Chie walked in with a bounce in her step and a grin on her face. Yosuke rolled his eyes at her optimism, but noted that Saki’s smile seemed more real than it had in a long time.

 

Since there weren’t too many customers, Chie had started chatting up her writer friend. He was wiping down some of the tables as Saki and Chie manned the counter together, looking like complete opposites in their energies.

His thoughts turned towards his healing abilities and Saki’s brother, but he pushed them away before he could get his hopes up about being able to help him. Yosuke wasn’t sure how much he could heal or if there was some sort of rule he would break if he did try to help Naoki.

Tuning into Chie’s conversation in the hopes that it would distract him, he heard the tail end of her sentence, “…holing yourself up like that. It’s no good for you, Rise.”

“I know,” Rise told her in response, manicured hands rising to cover her face. She seemed extremely upset as she said, “I have to finish this book, though, or my editor will ruin my life. I just can’t seem to figure out what to do for these last couple chapters… I don’t know how to get inspiration, Chie.”

“Maybe what you need is a break,” Chie suggested, prying her hands away from her face. “How about you hang out with us tonight? It’d just be you, me, and Naoto.”

Rise seemed to be considering what she said, but before she could respond, Yosuke noticed that customers were arriving. A quick glance at the clock told him that the afternoon rush would soon occur. He turned his attention back to the few tables he had to clean before making his way back behind the counter with the others.

 

It was a couple hours later and approaching his break when Souji finally entered the café. He definitely seemed to be fitting in, wearing more casual clothes than he usually wore in Yosuke’s presence. He looked almost strange when his skin wasn’t so pale and his eyes weren’t that bright, sickly yellow.

 _His eyes are still a weird color, though_ , he noted with some degree of amusement. This was the first time Yosuke had seen someone with grey eyes and he wondered how many people actually had them. Souji approached Chie, rattling off one of the most disgustingly sugary concoctions that he’d ever heard of, and he could see by the bemused look on his friend’s face that she was thinking similarly.

She handed the drink over to him with a cheerful, “Here you go! Enjoy!”

He nodded his head at her in thanks before moving over to one of the tables to settle down. Souji took a sip of his drink, looking extremely pleased by the taste, and Yosuke could only shake his head as he turned away from him to clean off another table.

Kanji was the next to arrive and he was only able to tell by the sudden shiver he had and the quick drop in temperature. Yosuke had to admit that his magic was fairly good at warning him about people, even if someone like Kanji was… well, probably harmless.

Hopefully.

By the time his break had hit, the two of them were already talking. Yosuke slid into the booth next to Kanji, flashing him a quick smile that the demigod hesitantly returned.

“Ridiculous…” Souji was muttering to himself, eyes narrowed as he stared across the table at Kanji. “No one told you anything? Anything at all?”

“My ma tried, but she doesn’t know much,” Kanji replied with a guilty frown. “I’ve been trying to stay away from home as much as I can these past couple days because I think I’m the one making her so tired.”

“Yes, you’re probably about to explode, aren’t you?” Souji noted, closing his eyes for a couple of moments before reopening them again. Astonished, Souji said, “It’s incredible you haven’t already. It might be because you’re around Yosuke because his magic’s working to stop you from smiting us all where we stand, but we certainly have to do something about this. Immediately.”

“Smiting?!” Yosuke hissed under his breath, even as Kanji jerked back in his seat like Souji had suddenly burst into flame. “What the hell? No one’s getting smited today, damn it.”

“You certainly aren’t,” Souji acknowledged, nodding his head. His eyes darkened for a moment as he said, “Your soul will be mine, after all. If you died by smiting, I’m not sure what would happen to your soul and that is _incredibly_ displeasing.”

“Creep,” Yosuke muttered under his breath. Kanji nodded his head in agreement, but stopped when Souji’s eyes landed on him again.

“We’ll be taking our leave now, Kanji,” Souji murmured coolly, standing up. Yosuke scooted out of the booth and watched as Souji grabbed Kanji by the elbow, practically dragging the taller man behind them. “I know just the place to take you to let out your powers…”

Yosuke followed after them, mostly because his break was gonna last a while and he didn’t have anything better to do than to tag along. He watched as Souji summoned another portal, shoving Kanji into it first before he followed in after him.

Yosuke went to enter, but Souji’s head popped back out and he said, “Stay here,” before the god re-entered once more. He closed the portal behind him a moment later and Yosuke scowled at it. When boring holes into the air with his eyes didn’t make the portal magically reappear, he finally gave up and turned around to head back to work.

 

When he came back home that evening, it was with a rented DVD in hand and the determination to not move an inch until it was over.

Yosuke sat down on the couch, a bowl of popcorn resting in his lap. The room was pretty dimly lit, all of the lights turned off and the sky so dark it looked like it was closer to midnight than evening. He glanced down at his phone just to confirm that it was about 7:42pm rather than a much later time.

The movie started playing and Yosuke dragged his attention back to the TV screen. In that moment of distraction, Souji appeared at his side. He reached over to snag some popcorn, chewing on it thoughtfully before asking, “What’re you watching?”

Yosuke jumped in surprise, hands moving to stabilize the bowl of popcorn before it fell to the floor and left them hungry and disappointed. He glared at Souji for his sudden appearance, but reluctantly said, “Monty Python.”

“A… moose once bit my sister?” Souji asked, reading the subtitles with a look of confusion on his face. “Fillings of Passion…? The Huge Molars of Horst Nordfink? Yosuke, is this normal for human films?”

Yosuke tried to hide his laughter with a poorly faked cough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone's wondering where souji and kanji went, they visited teddie for a while.
> 
> poor guy got all deflated again. ouch.


	6. Enter Sandman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am the worst at chapter titles... but i am here with a new chapter nonetheless! i'm still looking it over for errors so i might've missed one or two, whoops. kinda fun getting to write all these characters. feel free to point out if anyone is ooc.
> 
> and as always, thanks for the kudos, views, and comments! i really appreciate it. :)

Yosuke was really surprised when his cellphone started abruptly playing the Jaws theme, but quickly hopped down from where he had been standing on the counter with a curious Souji hovering nearby. He dropped the flyswatter into his hands and left the god to deal with the giant spider on the ceiling.

Pulling out his cell phone, he received the call. There was the loud sound of a swat behind him and then an amused chuckle, but Yosuke didn’t bother looking back.

“Heeey Yosuke! And how’s my favorite friend doing today?” Chie’s suspiciously cheerful voice called out to him and he pulled the phone away from his ear slightly, wincing at the unusual volume to her voice.

“What do you want,” he said flatly, already knowing that it would involve his money. _Some things never change... Everyone always wants me for my wallet._ Yosuke flopped down on the couch, propping his socked feet up on the broken kotatsu table as he resisted the urge to sigh.

“Haha… ha… you got me.” Chie’s awkward laughter faded out and she sighed. “I promised Rise that you’d come along and meet her while we had a bit of an, uh, girls night out tonight… Less of a girls night out, though, what with you and Naoto… Huh.”

“Oh, Rise… Rise…” Yosuke wracked his brain for a face to put to the name, finally recalling the saddened young woman he’d seen at the café every once and a while. “That writer, right? Where are you guys going?”

“Yeah, that’s her. I’m trying to cheer her up,” Chie confirmed. There was the sound of a train passing by and a dog barking in the background. He heard her distantly shouting Muku’s name and the dog eventually silenced, whimpering complainingly to her from farther away. “Sorry, sorry, Muku hates loud noises… What was I saying again? Oh yeah, about tonight. I was thinking we’d head down to Okina City, hang out and let loose a little… Maybe get some drinks later?”

“Yeah, uh, I have a friend over right now so let me just check with him real quick,” Yosuke said, holding his hand over the receiver. He looked to Souji and saw that he seemed to be examining the dead spider resting in the palm of his hand curiously, but decided not to question it. _Remember, he’s the god of the Underworld and not just a weird friend… He’s after souls. Spiders could have souls. I mostly definitely have a soul and he wants it badly enough to play at being friends,_ Yosuke thought to himself, shuddering at the feeling of dread it brought to him. There was a hint of disappointment, too, but he shoved it down into the dark and dusty recesses of his mind where feelings like that belonged. “Souji, I’m gonna head out to town with a couple friends so you can go do your own thing if you want.”

“Where?” Souji asked, floating over to him. Yosuke silently wondered why he couldn’t just walk on the ground like a normal person, but he supposed that it was a subtle way of boasting about his godly powers to mere mortals or some crap like that.

“Okina City,” Yosuke replied, looking at him in confusion. “Why?”

“I will accompany you,” Souji said, far too gravely. They were just talking about a night out on the town, after all. His expressionless face sold it pretty well, all things considered, but Yosuke wasn’t that impressed. He was even less impressed when Souji added, “Okina City could be dangerous for a person like you…”

He read between the lines. _Magical._ Yosuke sighed and uncovered the receiver. “He wants to come with me… Is that okay?”

“Ooh… pushy, isn’t he? New main squeeze?” Chie asked, giggling irritatingly in that way she knew he hated. Sometimes he wondered how they’d managed to stay friends for this long with how easily they pissed each other off. “Your new boyfriend is totally welcome to come along! The more, the merrier, right?”

“I’m hanging up now,” he told her and proceeded to do just that. Yosuke looked over to Souji, still contemplating their deal. “Souji… Why did you agree to our deal? You even said it wasn’t the usual type of thing someone came to you with.”

Souji floated calmly above his head and gave an eerie smile. It was off-putting to see such a smile paired with those blank, deadened eyes. “Your soul looked utterly delicious from the start… I almost wanted to crush it, but at the same time, I wanted to make it mine. And now it is… Just five years and I’ll have it in my hands.”

“Oh…” Yosuke wasn’t sure why that disappointed him, but it did. _Addendum: wallets and souls are all that people want me for._ He pasted on a smile. “And I’m guessing smiting means my soul won’t be in your hands anymore?”

“Your soul wouldn’t even exist anymore,” Souji replied, the room going chilly. Yosuke shivered at the sudden outburst of cold, trying to ignore the ice slowly creeping along the floor and rising to crawl up the wall. “I won’t allow that to happen.”

“Uh… think you can do that human thing you did last time?” Yosuke asked, wanting to get off the subject.

The room returned to a normal temperature as Souji sneered at him, the answer to that question obvious in his annoyed expression. His eyes turned grey again and Yosuke watched as he floated back down to the ground to loom over him somehow, even when they were nearly the same height. _Must be his whole badass aura he’s got going on,_ Yosuke thought and absentmindedly wondered if this was Souji’s true form at all.

They headed out to the station, getting tickets to Okina City and riding the train over to meet up with the girls and Naoto.

 

Yosuke could hear Chie cursing up a storm in the distance as soon as he arrived and swiftly changed directions to follow the sound of her enraged shouts. He found her attached to a claw machine, face pressed mournfully up against the glass as she mumbled, “That’s all I have on me… Nooooo…”

Naoto, for their part, looked distinctly unimpressed. “You’re not getting your wallet back, Chie,” they coolly observed, but all it took was one look at her face and their expression changed. “Step aside,” they said after a moment and Chie slid along the claw machine to peer at it from the side. Naoto took over immediately, putting in a dollar of their own. They silently moved the stick around, gaze fixated on a Pyro Jack doll, and then their prize dropped right through the opening.

“Naoto, I love you!” Chie cheered as Naoto offered it to her. She hugged the Pyro Jack doll to her chest with one arm and pulled Naoto in for a hug with the other one. Naoto awkwardly held an arm up to Chie’s back as if they weren’t sure how to react, face flushed in embarrassment. “Yukiko’s going to love this!”

Naoto’s expression soured. Yosuke awkwardly glanced away from them and looked over to see Rise pressed up against Souji’s side.

“You’re so cool,” she giggled, her entire nature seemingly shifted from how he recalled her behaving in the café. Rise ran a hand along his arm and looked up at him through her eyelashes, saying, “Looking so serious like that… What’s your deal, huh?”

Yosuke followed Souji’s gaze to see what had that expression on his face. It was a cat he recognized. With a sigh, he dug around in his bag for some of the cat treats he kept around and leaned down to feed her. The cat narrowed her eyes at his bag even as she devoured the treats he had to offer.

Naoto stood off to the side, observing them, and wondered why Souji’s gaze had shifted to land on Yosuke’s… assets. “It’s rude to stare,” they told him quietly.

Souji shrugged, turning his attention back to the cat and seemingly content with ignoring Rise’s flirting.

Yosuke finished feeding the cat and stood back up again, turning around to see that Rise was beginning to look pretty upset. _Ouch, Souji… That’s cold. You couldn’t even make conversation with her?_ He turned to Rise with a smile. “Hey… Rise, right? I’m Yosuke.”

Rise turned her smile on him, though he noticed it was lacking in its previous brightness. “Yeah, that’s right. I remember you… You work at the café with Chie, right?”

Yosuke nodded, wracking his mind for something to talk about. _It’s always the really pretty girls that I can’t figure out how to talk to,_ he thought glumly as Chie came up to them. “Yeah…”

Chie smiled brightly at them, ignoring the fact that Rise was glaring at Souji’s back. “Guys, let’s go see a movie!”

Naoto looked disappointed. “I thought we were going out for drinks.”

“You could hit up a whole distillery and still be conscious,” Chie said with a shrug. “The rest of us couldn’t stand a chance…”

“And I’m a teetotaler,” Rise piped up cheerfully, hooking her arm through Naoto’s. Naoto didn’t seem to mind, surprisingly enough. “So… to the movies we go!”

Yosuke glanced over to Souji as the others walked over to examine the selection of movies they could watch and saw that he’d been unblinkingly staring down the cat for who knows how long. He elbowed him in the side, ignoring Souji’s enraged hiss, and whispered, “Humans blink, you moron!”

Souji blinked at him repeatedly, probably just to be an asshole.

Chie made her way back over to them and said, “We decided to watch this one movie… uh, it was called Squirm or something, I think. Want to tag along, Yosuke?” She leaned in even closer with a shit-eating grin that Yosuke really didn’t like. “Or are you too scared?”

Yosuke glared at her, recalling the panic he'd been in the last time they had a movie marathon together. _Man, that was way back in high school..._ “It was a scary movie, okay?! I don’t know why you’d even joke around since you were even more freaked out!”

“W-what!” Chie shouted, looking embarrassed. “I was not! It just… weirded me out a little is all. Haha…”

“This art is very strange,” Souji observed, examining the movie poster. “Why is he surrounded by worms?”

Yosuke sighed, grabbing Chie by the arm and ignoring her offended squawk of rage. “Let’s get this over with,” he said as they rejoined the others and entered the movie theater.

Chie, of course, was extremely freaked out by the movie. She clung to Rise, burying her face in her shoulder and chanting something to herself that Yosuke couldn’t really hear from his seat. Rise herself was eating popcorn and still smiling, even as someone died on-screen. Yosuke shuddered at the sight of her cheerful expression.

Naoto was seated on one side of him with Souji on the other. While Souji was watching the movie with an intense focus, Naoto was gazing around the theater. They seemed to be examining the empty rows between them and the screen in a watchful, observant way.

 _Well, they are a detective… Must just be instinct, I guess,_ Yosuke thought and turned his attention back to the movie.

 

Yosuke yawned, stretching his arms out over his head. The movie had ended and they’d parted ways for the evening, leaving him with only Souji at his side as they walked the rest of the distance back to his apartment.

He unlocked the door and went inside, kicking off his shoes. Once inside, Yosuke headed straight for the bed, collapsing amongst the pillows tiredly. “This being magical thing is a pain in the ass… I’m tired all the time lately.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Souji said, frowning. He leaned over and looked at Yosuke curiously. “I think your magic must be acting by itself again, but I have no idea why…”

Yosuke sighed. “I don’t understand any of this crap at all, but I guess I’ll just have to sleep it off. You staying again?”

Souji didn’t bother to reply, but the bed dipped as another body slipped under the covers and Yosuke felt an arm around his waist.

“I didn’t mean my bed!” Yosuke told him, rolling over so that he was facing the god. “There’s a futon in the closet that you could get or you could just sleep on the couch, man.” He paused and nervously added, “This is kind of… gay, you know?”

“If it’s making you happy, then you have no reason to complain,” Souji grumbled in response, pressing even closer.

Yosuke went to reply with an explanation of what gay meant in colloquial terms, but the words got caught in his throat as he was pulled in so that his head rested against Souji’s collarbone. His hand ended up pressed right where a heart would have been on a human, but Souji’s was silent and unmoving, the constant _thud thud thud_ of Yosuke’s own heart beating in his ears. Even though he’d known Souji wasn’t human, it was still jarring to be faced with the undeniable proof of it.

“Fine,” Yosuke said, laying stiffly in his arms and only relaxing once it seemed that Souji had fallen asleep. _This is kind of nice… Not that I’m gay or anything. Guys can just sleep together without being that way, right?_

He laid there in the dark, comforted by the press of another body against his own and eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	7. In Which Yosuke Pursues Monkhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i disappeared for a few months, but i'm back with a new chapter. :D hope you'll all enjoy it.

Yosuke sighed deeply, eyes closed, as he tried to concentrate. _What the hell does finding my center even mean?! I’m supposed to be enjoying my spring break, not sitting here like a monk._ He knew it was supposed to take time, but it had been months and he was already nearing on attempt #140 with little success for his efforts. He attempted to take deep, calming breaths and blanked his mind, settling down comfortably with his back pressed up against his couch. It was bound to be a long wait.

After hours of sitting there, Yosuke felt something like a sharp tug coming from inside of him and around him, the location hard to pinpoint. He was flooded with sensations as he struggled to figure out the source, at first feeling a whirlwind of energy that eventually calmed to become a gentle breeze. He drifted for a while, time losing meaning, and then came back to himself so suddenly it almost felt as if his body was not his own. “Woah…” He looked down at his hands, feeling a building excitement. “I did it! I finally did it. I found it.” He just kept staring for a few moments, letting the feeling of success wash over him.

Yosuke heard a familiar knock on the door, so loud that it would probably wake up one of his neighbors and get a noise complaint filed against him. Again. For the seventh time this year. He jumped in surprise, eyes darting over to the clock. _Holy shit, Kanji… When I said it was fine if you came here a little early, I didn’t mean this early._ He quickly walked over and opened the door, leaning against the doorframe. “Dude, don’t you know how to knock quietly? My neighbors are going to think I’m in shady business now, especially with your whole delinquent look going on!”

Kanji shrugged, though he did look like he was feeling a bit guilty.

Yosuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. He waved a hand at Kanji, gesturing him inside as he walked back over to the couch. “Just… come in and stop hovering awkwardly outside the door,” he said, sitting down. As an afterthought, he reached over to turn on the lamp and watched as the area was bathed in a faint orange glow. _Much better. Can’t believe it’s already getting dark outside._

“Sorry, man,” Kanji said as he sat down by him, fidgeting with his hands. He still always seemed a little nervous, even after all these months they’d known enough other.

“Don’t sweat it.” Yosuke reached over, grabbing a controller and tossing it to Kanji. He didn’t check to see if it was caught as he picked up another controller and turned on the TV. “You wanna play CoD?”

Kanji nodded and then noticed Yosuke wasn’t even looking his way. “Yeah… uh, that’d be cool. Want to play Zombies mode?” He watched as Yosuke set the game up, not-so-casually wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

Yosuke started playing the game, barely focusing as he went through the motions. “Soooo…” He glanced over at Kanji, wanting to pry. “What happened earlier?”

“Huh?”

“You know, with the portal…?” Yosuke asked, looking annoyed. He glanced back to the game, picking up some ammo and rolling his eyes as a few zombies came near. They were easily defeated. “The one you both left me out of?”

“Oh.” Kanji laughed slightly, rubbing at the back of his neck as a sheepish grin took over his face. “That. Uh… well, I met this bear. And he had really soft-looking fur. It was like… like this indescribable-looking texture. And I spend nearly all of my time in a textile shop so that’s a compliment, you know?” He sighed. “I wish I got to feel it… It looked so, so soft…”

Yosuke punched Kanji in the shoulder, glaring. “I didn’t ask to hear about you going on and on about that dumb bear’s fur! I want to know about what happened while you were in there.”

Kanji rubbed at his shoulder, wincing. “Uhh…” He died in the game, but neither took notice. “I had to find my center or something, but it didn’t work for some reason?”

“Ouch, you too?” Yosuke asked, looking at him sympathetically. He dropped his controller onto his lap, resting a hand on the grimoire nearby. He tapped on it and said, “I’ve been trying to find that for ages thanks to Souji’s crap advice just so I can get the spells in this to work.”

“It’s different for me,” Kanji said, sighing. He glanced over at the grimoire. “I can’t use spells and stuff. I just get really frustrated and… uh, explode.” He looked down at the controller in his hands. “That’s what happened back there. I couldn’t wrap my head around this whole meditating thing and it was so stupid and I just- I lost it a little. Next thing I know, I’m feeling kinda tired and tar is dripping all over the place cause I destroyed the trees around me. I don’t even remember it, man. One second, things were fine. The next, there’s the smell of ozone in the air and everything’s been ruined.”

Yosuke stared. “Woah… That’s awesome! I wish I could do that much damage. I can just… heal stuff or knock you over with a strong gust of wind apparently.”

Kanji shook his head, running a hand through his hair and sighing. “No, it isn’t. That whole situation sucked. Souji just floated around staring at me judgmentally and Teddie ran around screaming at me because I, uh… kinda scorched his suit. I-I totally freaked out, man. I couldn’t think so I just started punching the shit out of these monsters that appeared out of the tar, but there were so freaking many. I was pretty much screwed.”

“And…?”

“Well… That bear ran out still screaming his head off and got in front of me just as I was about to get my ass handed to me by one of those creatures.” Kanji looked down at the floor, appearing lost in thought. “And then… I dunno what happened. These ice spikes start ripping out of the costume and the bear makes the weirdest sound ever and suddenly they just go everywhere! All of the weird creatures start melting and shrieking their heads off and then the bear just… deflated? It was the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen, Yosuke. And then your boyfriend just started-”

“Uh, what the fuck, Kanji?” Yosuke asked, narrowing his eyes at him. _I’m not gay! Why would he ever think that about me? I know Souji’s kinda pretty for a guy and I can admire that he’s really hot and he does have nice eyes, but that’s just… being observant. I mean, come on, he’s a god! They’re probably all just weirdly attractive beings or something. It doesn’t mean anything._ “He’s not my boyfriend! I’m not even into guys!” He internally groaned. _Fuck, that sounded so defensive. What’s wrong with me?_

“Oh…” Kanji shifted his gaze around the room before looking down awkwardly at his hands. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah, just… continue your story,” Yosuke said, sighing and rubbing at his eyes. “What did Souji do?”

“He just laughed his ass off! Who the hell does he think he is, huh?!” Kanji shouted, clenching his hands into fists. “And then the bear, uh… his name was Teddie, actually, I think? Guess I’ll call him that. So Teddie called him beary cruel and cried while smacking Souji with his weirdly deflated noodle arms until we agreed to leave.”

Souji suddenly appeared between them, causing both of them to jump in surprise as he leaned up against Yosuke’s side. “What are we talking about?” he asked, staring at Kanji in a way that left the room's temperature lowering a few degrees.

A light layer of ice slowly crawled up Yosuke’s side and he shoved Souji off of him, rolling his eyes. He brushed himself off, not noticing Kanji’s growing discomfort with the situation. “He was just telling me what happened when you guys left me behind earlier, you ass.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like anything important,” Souji said, staring at Yosuke with those creepy glassy eyes of his. He was almost like a possessed doll: otherworldly, beautiful, and so incredibly terrifying that it made you want to run away the minute you saw him. “So we should train.”

Yosuke looked away, feeling goosebumps rising on his arms. _Sometimes I forget he’s a god… and that he wants my soul._ He thought of the timer he had installed on his phone a few weeks back, the days slowly ticking down to the day of his death. _What is he even going to do to me once my time is up?_ “…Kanji, you up for it?” he asked, reaching over to pull his grimoire into his lap. It was a small comfort, but it made it easier to breathe without feeling like it was going to catch in his chest. _Why am I so scared now? I’ve known this will happen for months. I just have to accept it._

Kanji opened his mouth to respond with a resounding denial and the temperature in the room dropped down a few more notches. He closed his mouth and nodded, glaring at Souji.

Yosuke turned off the PS3 and stood up, shivering from the cold as he pulled on his coat. “Souji, can you control yourself for five seconds and not make my apartment an ice box?” he asked, annoyed. He slipped on his shoes, noticing Kanji doing the same thing out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed the remote and shut off the TV, waiting for some kind of response. The temperature in the room slowly began to return to normal. “Thanks.”

“I didn’t realize I had let some of my powers slip out,” Souji said as he opened the portal. “You humans are all so magically uninclined. I’m used to there being magic everywhere. It’s even in the air we breathe.”

“…Uh huh, sure,” Yosuke said, rolling his eyes. “Nice excuse.” He entered the portal, only to be tackled to the ground by Teddie. “What the heck, you dumb bear! You don’t just randomly tackle people!”

“But Yosuke, I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it!” Teddie beamed, even as Yosuke shoved him off. “I made a body just like you! I bet I’ll be all squishy and soft and I’ll look just as weird as all of you!” He smacked Kanji’s hand away. “And stop trying to touch my bearliciously soft fur!”

“...So you aren’t all hollow anymore?” Yosuke asked, brushing himself off from where he sat on the ground. He took a quick look around the place. The dark black sky was as vast and terrifying as always, though it had become somewhat obscured by the fog. It was covering most of his surroundings and making it hard to see. That was a new feature, considering he could barely see a foot in front of his face now. He was lucky he could spot the sky at all with the way things were. “Is it getting foggier in here…?”

Teddie huffed in annoyance. “Yes! Ever since this idiot over here destroyed my home, it’s been getting filled with fog. None of the shadows will come out. I think they’re scared, but I don’t know what they’re scared of… My nose is all stuffy.” He popped off the head of the costume, holding it against his chest. He smiled, winking at Yosuke. “Aren’t I the prettiest bear you’ve laid eyes on…?”

Yosuke shoved Teddie, watching him overbalance and fall to the floor with an overdramatic cry of pain. “No.”

“Why are you so mean to me?” Teddie asked, wailing loudly. When Kanji held out a hand towards him, he smacked it away and glared. “You’re just after my soft fur, aren’t you?!”

Yosuke sighed, not getting up from his seat on the ground. He looked up at Souji who had been floating nearby, just watching him. _Creep…_ He looked between Kanji and Teddie, watching as Kanji spluttered and yelled. _This is gonna be a long training session…_


	8. Black Roses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think picking a title took me longer than writing this entire chapter...

Yosuke woke up abruptly to the sound of someone banging on his door. If he could correctly identify that annoying whining voice, even in his half-asleep state, he’d bet all of his meager funds on it being Chie. He groaned, rubbing at his eyes with one hand and shoving Souji off of him with the other. _Why the hell does he keep ending up in my bed…? That’s so gay… I really need to explain this to him since he’s not human and all…_ He stared at Souji, frowning. _I guess gods wouldn’t have hang-ups on gender and stuff. Maybe he can, like, transform into a hot girl anytime he wants… I think I read a manga like that somewhere._

Souji let out a disgruntled noise and then curled up on his side, eyes opening wide as he stared at him in the somewhat dark room with slightly glowing, most definitely inhuman eyes. “Stop moving... I was enjoying listening to your breathing and if I remember correctly, some humans can randomly stop doing so in repose… I want to see that moment, if it happens…”

“…What the fuck, Souji…? That’s so… creepy! And not cool, not cool at all. You don’t just tell humans you want to see them stop breathing, that’s like… gotta be in a handbook somewhere.” He yawned even as a chill ran up his spine, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair as the pounding only grew more frantic. “I’m coming, Chie, gimme a minute!”

Souji grumbled something that was probably rude and would definitely make Yosuke want to shove him off the bed if he hadn’t been quiet enough to go unheard. He blinked slowly, eyes fading into the typical grey color, and slowly began to take on the look of someone who was alive.

Yosuke absently wondered if that was all cosmetic, fingers twitching to check for a pulse and see if he’d find one. He ignored it, standing up and checking himself over to see if he was dressed well enough to be seen by anyone. _Shirt, check. Boxers, check. Pants… well, crap, where did those go to?_ A quick search found them in the middle of the kitchen floor, something he decided not to question for once in his life, and then he started the fun game of trying to walk over to the door while putting them on. He successfully managed to hurt his hip by knocking into the sharp edge of an end table and his pride by knocking into a Souji, both of which he ignored with the same feeling of annoyance.

He finally opened the door, taking in a breath in preparation to yell at her a little for probably waking up the entire building and then saw the state she was in. “…Chie, you okay? You look a little…”

“I’m not okay! At all! Yukiko asked me out on our first official date and do you know what that means?! I’ll tell you what it means! Not just me hanging out wherever she is and looking like a total loser admiring the most beautiful girl in, like, the history of the entire universe while tripping over my own tongue like some… some… dumb kid!” Chie spat out, hands waving around as she explained. She kept shifting from foot to foot as if all of her energy was too much to contain. “Just! I don’t know what to do and you somehow hooked a guy like that,” she jerked a thumb at Souji who awkwardly waved and then retreated back into the bedroom at Yosuke’s annoyed glare. “Help me! Maybe all the dating sims you played as a teenager were actually helpful in some way, I don’t know.”

Yosuke lead her into his apartment. “…Okay, first of all, I didn’t play that many dating sims! It was one time! And it was dumb, I realize that, but Aoi was totally cute and… I’m just digging my grave even more, aren’t I?” He sighed, not giving her time to answer him as he added, “And I don’t see why you’re panicking so much. Yukiko’s a sweet girl, isn’t she? She seems like the sort to find your painful awkwardness in any situation that doesn’t involve excessive talk about Jackie Chan weirdly endearing.” He pauses. “And I’m not gay and he isn’t my boyfriend so shut up!”

Chie flapped a hand at him and flopped down on his couch, grabbing a pillow and wordlessly shrieking into it for a couple of minutes. He waited it out until she was out of breath and then she flipped over onto her back, looking up at him. “I’m not that obsessed with him and Yukiko is the absolute sweetest, like so sweet she could give you tooth decay and you wouldn’t even care because she’s just that smooth! It’s kind of a problem because she’s so great and then I’m just… me!” She sniffed.

Yosuke frowned. “…Chie, come on. You’re amazing, okay, and I say that as the person who has dealt with you for a ton of years with no escape in sight. You’re funny and confident in yourself and always a cheerful presence to have around. She asked you out on this date, right? She has to like enough of that “just me” to want to go for it. Just… chill out and give it a try.”

Chie sat up and looked at him, eyes filling with tears. She sniffed quietly for a few seconds and then came the usual wailing he’d expected as she yanked him into an oddly angled hug. Eventually she calmed down and whispered, “You’re the worst at this, but… I really needed that. Thanks.” She pulled back and wiped at her face, trying to regain her composure. “I, um, I said yes… to that date. And it’s today in a couple hours and I just- I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you come with me and deal with my dumb nervous jitters for a little longer? Just until she gets there, I swear I won’t force you to third-wheel an awkward date… You could even bring Souji along. He just stands there looking about as talkative as a brick wall anyways so you must get pretty bored with that… We could have fun.”

“…You know what? Sure. I’ve been hanging out in my apartment for too long anyways. All I do is study lately. I think I might literally become a hermit if I don’t give myself a reason to go somewhere.” Yosuke glanced over towards his bedroom and called out, “Souji, you have any plans?”

Souji stepped out, glancing down at Chie for a second before looking over to Yosuke. “Nothing important,” he said, hopping over the couch to join her and take up nearly all of it. Chie shoved at his feet until he gave her more room. “Why? Are we having a double-date?” he asked, smirking up at Yosuke who glared back at him.

“A double-date…?” Chie asked, expression going far too thoughtful for Yosuke’s liking.

“No, no, nope, that is not happening,” Yosuke said, turning his glare on her. “You have to woo her on your first date and how can you properly do it with a fake date going on right next to you? That’s just… ridiculous.”

“I mean… it doesn’t look that fake to me, Yosuke,” Chie said with a teasing grin, her eyes alight in a way he definitely did not like either. “You could pass for a couple easily.”

Yosuke frowned. “No way. That’s so gay, Chie, come on… You know I like girls.”

Chie bit her lip. “…Yeah, I know, I know. You’ve only told me like a thousand times.” She looked up at him, expression turning pleading. “But can you pleaaaaase fake it? For me? Yukiko might even feel more comfortable that way!”

Yosuke sighed. “…You’re not going to give up until I give in, are you?”

“Heh… probably not…” Chie smiled. She looked at Souji. “You’re willing, right?”

Souji nodded and went back to staring at Yosuke without blinking at all which was both creepy and definitely not anything like a human should be acting.

Yosuke frowned at him, unsure how to get him to blink without making it more obvious than it already was. _At least Chie’s pretty unobservant…_ He glanced over at Chie, wanting to get her out of the apartment so he could drill some rules of basic humanity into Souji’s thick skull. “…Yeah, fine, I’ll do it. Just get out of here and text me the location and time.”

Chie hopped up from the couch in record time and ran out of the room, shouting a chipper, “Will do! Thanks so much, Yosuke, I swear you won’t regret it.”

 _Oh, I definitely will…_ Yosuke thought, glancing over to Souji. He bit his lip. _This is going to be so awkward… People will think I’m into guys… crap, what did I get myself into? What if I see Saki? Or Rise? They’re both really cute girls and I could have a shot at them, if I really tried… I don’t want them thinking I like guys and just writing me off as a lost cause. Well, more than they already probably have._ He sighed and sat down on the couch, ready to start a long conversation of the dos and don’ts of dates for mortals.

 

 

Yosuke walked into the Chagall Café, glancing around and spotting Chie sitting down at a table. She was looking out the window, seemingly incapable of stillness as she bounced in her seat like a little kid. He shook his head and walked over to get something to drink, glancing up at the menu for a moment before ordering a green tea latte and waiting for Souji to rattle off another one of his disgusting orders as he looked around, taking note of the surprising lack of people considering the usual hustle and bustle of Okina City. _Well… at least I don’t see anyone I know that well._

He paid for their drinks, picking his up and taking a sip as he slid into the booth across from Chie. “So how nervous are you from a scale of 1 to dealing with King Moron?” 

Chie snorted in amusement before tossing a smile at Souji as he sat down next to Yosuke. “He wasn’t really the type of guy to make you nervous unless you fell asleep in class... or weren’t being pure as the driven snow, whatever that’s supposed to mean.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad the teachers at college are more normal.”

Yosuke shrugged, sipping at his drink as he looked out the window and admired the view. It was starting to approach evening, the sky turning a beautiful shade of purple and the clouds swirled around almost artfully. There were a few people walking around, but there was no sight of that familiar red sweater Yukiko was so fond of. “So… when’s Yukiko getting here?”

“Uhhh…” There was a faint sound of Chie rummaging around in her bag and then a quiet, “Aha!” She started texting for a few moments, then finally said, “She said she’s really close and that she’s excited to meet you, Souji.”

Souji glanced up at that. “I’ll be thrilled to meet her as well,” he said, a small smile forming. It didn’t meet his eyes, but Yosuke found that it rarely did even when he was playing the part of a human. There was something off about him, a smugness that practically screamed that he knew something they didn’t.

Yosuke waited until Chie was distracted with looking outside, likely trying to seek out Yukiko’s face in the crowd, and then lightly kicked Souji in the shin. All he got was an even more amused smile for his efforts and he glared before going back to sipping at his drink, trying to figure it out. _What is it about Yukiko that he finds so funny…? Does he know her or something?_ A terrifying thought came to him. _Does he have a contract with her? No, no way, that can’t be… He wouldn’t…_ He glanced over to Souji. _Would he…? He’s said many times he wants my soul… just that, not me or my weird magic or— I sound like such an idiot… He’s another guy. Why do I care if he’s just after my soul?_ He bit his lip. _But if Yukiko’s given up her soul to him, she might die… I really hope I’m wrong here._

Yukiko took a seat next to Chie, having arrived at some point while Yosuke was lost in thought. “…and it’s nice to finally get to meet you,” she was telling Souji, eyes glittering with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. She smiled sweetly, but Yosuke could feel his magic practically raging from inside. It was a whirlwind that only he seemed to feel, though Souji did wrap an arm around his shoulders. He leaned into him slightly, trying to relax as it began to settle into an uneasy whisper.

Souji bared his teeth at her in something that just barely resembled a smile, a silent conversation seeming to go on between them though Chie hadn’t appeared to notice with her eyes locked solely on Yukiko and no one else. Eventually he settled, turning to look over at Yosuke. He leaned close and murmured in his ear, “Don’t let her tempt you… Understood?”

Yosuke felt a bit confused. _Tempt me…? What the hell?_ He nodded and whispered, “…Now back off. You’re practically breathing down my neck, dude…”

Souji smirked and leaned in closer, pressing a light kiss to his temple. “Whoops… I slipped.” He backed away a moment later, sipping at his drink.

Yosuke flushed from what had to be embarrassment and anger if the way he had suddenly felt warm all over was any indication. _I get that it’s meant to be a double date, but that was… way unnecessary! And not cool at all! What a jerk._ He glared at Souji and went back to sipping at his drink, watching as Chie chatted excitedly at a lightly smiling Yukiko. He couldn’t help but wonder who was actually doing the tempting here, considering Yukiko looked utterly enamored with her. He mostly sat back and allowed them to talk, only chipping in every once and a while whenever Chie started to look panicked.

Yukiko seemed to look more and more agitated as time went on, though, with her gaze constantly landing on Souji. Eventually something seemed to snap within her, flickers of red dripping into her normally average brown eyes. It only made her appear to be even more beautiful, giving her an almost ethereal air. It was enchanting to watch and Yosuke almost found himself pulled into her gaze, feeling a bit dazed. Souji yanked him closer and the moment was broken as Yosuke turned his head to give him another glare.

“Chie…” Yukiko gave a faint smile, her eyes darting over towards Souji and Yosuke with what was almost a glare. She turned her attention back to Chie quickly. “I think it’s about time we return home… Can I walk you back to your apartment and make sure you get home safely?”

Chie nodded and stood, smiling. “Thanks, Yukiko… I really appreciate it.” She blushed as Yukiko took her hand and led her out of the shop, calling out, “Bye, guys!” almost as an afterthought.

Yosuke watched them walking past the window and frowned, feeling a little wary and not quite sure why. He sighed and turned to Souji. “…Time to go back home, I guess.”

Souji didn’t respond, still looking out the window and seeming to trace Yukiko’s movements with his eyes until she disappeared from sight.


	9. Every Day's Great at Your Junes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! i really wanted to get this chapter out earlier, but the weather here sucks and i ended up catching a pretty terrible cold. shitty timing, huh? hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait, though! :) i certainly enjoyed writing it

A few months had passed by, chilly weather giving way to the warmth of spring. On an early Friday morning, so early that no one in their right mind would be awake, Yosuke stood indecisively in an aisle at Junes. He was busy examining the cup noodles, trying to decide if it would be overkill to buy them in bulk or an investment he’d wholeheartedly approve of in the future. His phone hung loosely from his hand, the sounds of Chie’s progressively louder and louder shouts drowned out under the cheery jingle that played in the store.

He waited until she was more quiet, picking the twenty-four pack with a supreme feeling of regret and maybe a bit of mourning; his hours per week have gone down by a shit-ton with money problems hitting the café hard and the wad of money sitting firmly in his wallet is noticeably thinner than before, a telling sign that he may need to pick up a better job or possibly even a couple shifts at Junes. The prospect was more cringe-worthy than appealing, a harsh reminder that he’ll always be known by his peers as the “Prince” of Junes in their memories of their high school days if he’s remembered at all. The memories of hushed whispers as he passed by through the halls, the streets, and even the store itself won’t fade away no matter how hard he tries to let them. _Ugh, enough of that! I better not keep Chie waiting much longer or she’ll be really pissed_ , he thought with a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he pulled the phone back up to his ear. “Are you done?”

Chie sighed loudly, her fighting spirit seemingly dimmer than usual. “Yes. No. Maybe. Thanks for letting me scream at you. I can’t believe they fired me.” There was a pause and then some muffled barking, followed by the sound of a door creaking open. She must’ve finally left her bedroom. “I’ll find a job somewhere soon… I hope. Yukiko offered to let me move in with her if I want. It’s a sweet offer but it might be too soon, you know?”

Yosuke thought back to the experience with Yukiko before and Souji’s wariness around her. He frowned, gripping his phone more tightly. “Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean… how long have you guys been dating now anyways?”

“Uhhh… I think it’ll be the fifth month anniversary soon?” Chie mumbled into the phone, the sound of barking growing louder. She sighed again and then said, “Can I call you back later? My dog is getting pretty rowdy right now. Probably needs a little one-on-one time since I’ve been super busy lately.”

Yosuke walked over to the frozen food, grabbing a few frozen pizzas and throwing them in, too. “Yeah, sure. I seriously have no idea how you can handle Muku, though. That dog’s seriously way too energetic, just like you.” He smirked. “I bet he drools less, though.” He ended the call as soon as he heard her angry shouts in response.

He continued walking around the store, picking up a few other things he needed. He looked over and saw Naoto walk up to him, their expression far too serious for the time and place.

“Hey, Naoto,” Yosuke said, grinning. “Didn’t think I’d run into you at this hour. Detective duties calling you to good ol’ Junes?”

Naoto rolled their eyes. “No.” They shifted almost awkwardly, their eyes darting around in a way that made Yosuke wonder if they were telling the truth. A tell like that would have been far too obvious and he’d only seen them act that way when assuming a different persona to get information for a case. “I wanted to talk to you and it seems like we ran into each other by pure luck.” Their sour expression showed exactly what they thought of that. “Have you noticed anything… different lately? Anything unusual or strange?”

Yosuke frowned, feeling the stirrings of his magic in the back of his mind. It felt defensive, but this was Naoto and he doubted they would ever do him any harm. _I can at least give them a little info, right?_ “I mean… things have seemed a little different, yeah. I can’t exactly put my finger on one specific thing, but it’s just been weird.” He considered his options. _I can either throw Kanji under the bus or get someone to actually look into Yukiko’s creepiness. Maybe she’s secretly a serial killer. Or an incubus. Hopefully not that. Chie wouldn’t appreciate me thinking any of that, but what she doesn’t know doesn’t hurt her and Naoto’s always been good at keeping things professional._ “Actually… Chie’s new girlfriend is kind of strange, too. Why are you asking? Didn’t take you for the superstitious type, Naoto.”

Naoto shrugged, tossing him a small smile. “You’d be surprised.” They looked around one more time, frowning, and then said, “Be careful. There’s a lot going on in this town right now and I’m trying to get to the bottom of it, but it isn’t easy.” With those words, they walked off and disappeared into another aisle.

Yosuke sighed and walked into another aisle only to jump in surprise as Souji suddenly appeared out of nowhere, floating in front of him without a bit of warning. He yanked him back down to ground level and looked around wildly, hissing, “What are you doing?!”

Souji just looked back at him, expression clearly showing how many fucks he gave. “Finding you.”

“…I regret all my life choices, especially the ones that lead me into summoning an asshole god who doesn’t do normal things like call me on my phone if he needs to talk to me,” Yosuke muttered quietly, anger clear in his eyes. He looked up towards the security cameras and huffed in irritation. He looked back down at his groceries, thinking. “I’m going to have to—I don’t even know. I guess I’ll just play it like a stealth mission in a video game except there’s a lot more on the line than going back to a save point. My dad will literally kill me if he catches me sneaking around just because some idiot can’t control himself for five seconds and use his brain.”

Souji opened his mouth to speak, but Yosuke didn’t even look his way and he quickly shut it again.

Yosuke ran his hand through his hair, groaning. “I mean… maybe if I’m lucky, the guy on duty forgot to get a cup of coffee and is conked out over there so I can just slip in and mess with the tapes. It’s not the first time I’ve done it, though that was only because Chie offered me $20 if I did it without getting caught and, well, there was a new video game coming out so I couldn’t really say no…” He looked up finally. “Are you even listening?”

Souji rolled his eyes at him. “No. I stopped listening the minute you started babbling about some mortal issues… I froze up the security cameras when I arrived. They’ll think it was a little glitch, nothing to worry about, so you can shut up and get your…” He looked down at the many boxes of cup noodles. “…pasta.” He looked a bit disgusted.

Yosuke frowned. “…Don’t judge me. I don’t know how big of a paycheck you get in the land down under, but here it’s a lot harder to keep your hands on money with rent to pay and groceries to buy and stupid friends who keep dragging you out to waste even more of it.” He started walking towards the checkout, looking for an empty self-service machine because the last thing he wanted to deal with was another living human being to look at him and immediately find him disappointing as hell. He got enough of that from his parents… and his co-workers… and his boss. He sighed. _Even the guy who is getting my soul thinks I’m a loser._ He started checking out, mindlessly scanning the items and bagging them before paying.

He grabbed his bags and exited the store in a rush, not even bothering to see if Souji was following him. He started walking down the street, glancing upwards towards the darkened sky and admiring the sliver of moon peeking out for a moment. The stars were harder to see with the streetlights shining above him, even in a tiny rural place like Inaba. He supposed it was still worse in the city, but his memories of his time there seemed far away now and he barely had any idea on how to compare it.

A hand came to suddenly rest on his shoulder and Yosuke looked up with a frown. “What now, Souji?”

The look on Souji’s face was certainly a strange one. He seemed oddly focused, those strangely glassy eyes looking even creepier when they glinted like silver in the light. He leaned in closer and Yosuke’s heart felt like it was hammering in his throat for some unknown reason. Souji tilted his head, eyes sliding closed, and then kissed him. He missed just a bit, the kiss off-center, and then he adjusted himself to kiss Yosuke properly with his hands sliding down to lightly hold onto his arms.

Even as he stood frozen in place with eyes wide open and hands held out to push him away, Yosuke found himself reluctant to do so. He hesitated, mind running a mile a minute and his magic practically swirling around him with the questioning air of something that couldn’t quite figure out if this was a threat or not. Yosuke sighed angrily into the kiss that was lasting far too long because he couldn’t figure it out either; his magic would just have to deal. He suddenly got his thoughts back into something like coherency, even if he was just thinking, _What the fuck is happening, oh my god, push him away, that’s super gay, PUSH HIM AWAY!_ His hands finally seemed to know what to do and Yosuke was blissfully free to breathe his own air. “…Dude!” he said, sounding way more breathless than angry. _What the fuck am I doing!_

Souji just smirked, not a hint of apology on his person. “I was just tasting your soul… During a mortal kiss, it tends to come closer to the surface. I was just checking on the goods.”

Yosuke ran a hand through his hair, flustered and pissed off and weirdly disappointed all at once. _Why would anyone want to kiss you for you? Stupid. And he’s a guy! What the heck am I feeling bad for!_ “That’s… that’s way uncool and super gay, dude! Super fucking gay! Like… I don’t know how it is for you gods, but here us straight guys don’t do that! For any reason! Ever.” He paused. “Unless someone’s dying. Then it’s okay to give them mouth to mouth.”

Souji shrugged, sliding an arm around Yosuke’s shoulders and leading him back towards his apartment. “I don’t care. You tasted kind of weird. Did you buy new chapstick?”

Yosuke frowned, unable to help but remember the inhuman coldness to Souji’s skin and the way it had still felt so good even with a slight chill in the night air. It had been… really, really good and he certainly hadn’t been thinking about things like chapstick or souls or whatever else went through Souji’s mind during unwanted kissing sessions. “Yeah, but… dude, don’t make this even weirder than it already is. Let’s just forget about it, okay? I’ll make us some cup noodles and we can watch a movie and if you ever try to taste my soul again… I’ll—” He tried to think up a suitable threat, but everything still felt floaty and weird like he was a million miles away from logical thought. “I’ll use my wind powers and kick your ass.”

Souji laughed quietly as he followed Yosuke into the apartment building, not seeming to feel even slightly threatened. “Well… you can try.”


	10. Bewitched Starring Bruce Lee and Julia Roberts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...my titles need a lot of work tbh. but i am here! with a chapter! no, i didn't die i did something worse i got a job so expect chapters to pop up once every 13 years :)
> 
> also i wrote some of this at 5am so feel free to let me know if you notice any mistakes i missed in my quick look-over for errors! and if anyone's wondering, there was a bit of a time skip again which is why it's now summer in the fic woo hoo

“—and I’d like to talk to you about Chie’s inhuman companion if you have the time to spare,” Naoto had been saying over the phone, almost as if talking about the weather.

Yosuke paused for a moment, phone cradled against his ear as he contemplated their words. “Wait, wait, wait a second, Naoto! Dude—“

“Don’t call me dude,” they said without much heat. “I’m not any of your boy toys and you are quite aware of that, I’m sure. Especially considering I’m not, well—” There was a brief hesitation over the phone. “You are surely aware by now that I’m not a fan of that which is binary.”

Yosuke made a strangled noise. “B-boy toys?! Naoto, come on!” His eyes awkwardly darted back where Souji was laying… uncomfortably close… and was that an arm around him he felt? He turned to face him and kicked him hard in the shin. To his annoyance, all he got was Souji cracking open an eye to stare at him creepily under the dim glow of his sweet guitar-shaped night light which Chie had gifted him a couple months back for “not being a total pain in the ass for once” during the whole double date fiasco; still, it wasn’t a double date even if pretty much everyone else involved seemed to think so. Well, except Souji. _Souls before hoes, am I right? Not like I’m bitter or anything, though,_ he thought bitterly. “And… Not gonna lie, I don’t really get it but I won’t call you dude if you’re gonna start making unrealistic insinuations about my love life anytime I do!”

Naoto poorly muffled their chuckles and then said, “Very much appreciated, Yosuke… Now back on topic, I noticed a hint of strangeness about this girl Chie is dating. Not only did she attract the gazes of nearly everyone within a certain range, but… well, I suppose the best way to put it is that she had a strange grace to her. A grace so unnatural one might call it much like… deadly seduction, in fact.” They sighed. “And even I might have been swayed if I hadn’t come prepared. I strengthened a talisman with my own blood. It was… a bit of a sticky situation, but it worked out for my investigation.” They sounded amused by their own words.

Yosuke stopped glaring at Souji who now had his eyes lazily half-open and was just watching him talk, clearly able to hear both parts of the conversation. He tilted his head, trying to get the idea of Naoto calling anyone seductive to make sense in his brain. “You, uh, you lost me a little here. Can you give me some details? Maybe read off those hefty investigation notes I know you’ve got, detective prin—er. Ace detective?” He mentally patted himself on the back for that save.

Naoto made a noise of assent and then there was the slight sound of movement, followed by… page-turning.

Yosuke blinked. _Holy shit, they seriously took notes? I was kidding!_

“Right. Well, at one point Chie grew distracted by a very large canine with much saliva to offer and not much else. Normally this would have lead to a lot of excited yelling and dog petting and possibly annoyance from the owner because she never asks permission ever. How thoughtless.” They sighed, then hummed as if in thought. “That’s where it gets strange. The girlfriend… ah, Yukiko, was it? She grabbed her by the arm, rather firmly, and turned Chie towards her… then stared into her eyes. There seemed to be a strange glow to them and suddenly Chie walked straight by practically hung off Yukiko’s arm without so much as looking at the dog again, let alone petting him. Considering the way the dog whined when she left, I suppose it must have been tragic for both of them. Or it would have been, if she had cared about anything but staring at Yukiko’s face like a lovesick fool.” There was a hint of bitterness there.

“Uh… yeah, ouch… Chie’s love of dogs is known by pretty much everyone! One time she nearly walked into traffic just because she saw this little terrier that she thought had spunk or some weird crap like that.”

Naoto laughed slightly, but then they grew quiet. They sounded much more serious when they said, “Yosuke, I think her girlfriend is a demon. Possibly a succubus feeding off of her life force.”

Yosuke’s eyes went wide. “A-a what?! Naoto, come on, that seems a little… crazy, doesn’t it? I mean, demons aren’t real.” He paused, remembering that he had in fact tried to summon Souji which lead to their whole soul situation and… well, maybe demons could be real. “Holy shit, what if demons are real?! Chie’s gonna freakin’ DIE!” 

“Yes, now do be quiet.” Naoto sighed, then took a moment to rearrange their thoughts.

Yosuke sighed, but did as told as he glanced over towards Souji. He frowned and gestured towards him with his free arm, eyebrow raised as if to ask why the hell he was in his personal space… like really close in it. Souji just looked at the arm waving around and grabbed onto it, dragging him in closer with a slight hint of smugness or maybe confusion. Sometimes it was hard to tell with the guy. _What the heck?! Does he not understand simple gestures or is he just trying to piss me off?_ He went to shove him off, considered the fact that his room was usually pretty drafty during the night, and eventually just let his hand sort of awkwardly curl up between them instead of using it for acts of violent bed removals towards gods. _Whatever._

Naoto cleared their throat to regain his attention and said, “I think in order of most likely to most unlikely, she could be a succubus then a vampire then a siren then a valkyrie then…” There was a pause, almost thoughtful. “Perhaps a selkie that has shed her hide?”

“Uhhh… pretty sure this isn’t a teenage girl’s fantasy novel so we could cross out vampire. And I don’t know what the rest of that is, but great! We have a list of things!” He yawned. “So maybe we should figure out what to do with the list after a little shut eye. How’s that sound?”

Naoto snorted. “I don’t think you’d take no for an answer here. Good night, Yosuke.”

“G’night, Naoto,” he said, smiling slightly as he ended the call. He proceeded to worm his way out just enough to get his cup noodles off the nightstand and then returned to the warmth of the blankets and body heat. He leaned back against Souji’s chest, thought about how gay that kind of was, and then quickly reassured himself that it wasn’t gay if it was with a god who only wanted your soul and nothing else. “Sooo…”

Souji looked at him like he’d just killed his first born. “What are you doing? That’s… disgusting. And soggy. And cold.” He full-body shuddered when Yosuke slurped up some noodles. “Mortals… Do you have any idea what acceptable food is?” He muttered something under his breath.

“Uh… leave me alone, I don’t have Hel’s credit card to buy me all the fucking ambrosia in the world or whatever crap you people eat.” He snorts. “Heh, it’s like a sugar daddy but a girl.”

Souji tilted his head. “Credit card? I just do this.” There was a flash of lightning from outside and then a wad of cash landed on the bed. “I never need to worry. I can make a perfectly real looking copy of money. No one’s ever noticed before.”

Yosuke stared at the money, then at his cup noodles. He continued to eat them, but with a bit less enthusiasm. “Ugh… lucky gods and their stupid infinite money…”

Eventually, he finished eating and tossed the trash in the direction of the waste bin in the far corner of his room. It missed and rolled into his pile of unwashed socks that he wouldn’t touch without gloves on because they smelled like death itself and probably felt ten times worse. He proceeded to lay back down and close his eyes, resting for a moment to enjoy being warm instead of shivering since his comforter was getting kind of thin and a new one was a bit too much if he wanted to save some money for emergencies or whatever responsible people did. He could feel his magic swirling around almost playfully, feeling more relaxed than he had in a while.

Then… his phone rang. He sighed, not even bothering to check caller ID, and answered. He muttered a tired, “Y’ello?”

There was a lot of giggling and the distant sound of a loud television drama that woke him up a bit, especially when he realized it wasn’t just Chie calling him to yell at him over some stupid show she saw. “Chiiiieeeee! Wait, wait… this isn’t…” A loud yawn. “Chie… oh… oh shitfuck.” A sniff. “I can’t even get that right? God, what’s- what’s wrong with me…” A couple more sniffs. “Heh… heheh…” Rise, or at least Yosuke hoped it was Rise calling him instead of some random upset girl, suddenly started wailing at the top of her lungs.

Yosuke pulled the phone away from his ear, wincing. Eventually it faded to a bit of a more bearable level of noise and he brought it back. “Uh… Rise, are you… are you okay?”

Rise giggled wetly over the phone, sniffing a bit. “No. I’m- ugh, I’m so sorry. This is Yosuke, isn’t it? I don’t know how I called you instead of Chie… C and Y aren’t even anywhere near each other.” She started laughing harder and then muttered harshly, “If I can’t even get calling someone right… how… how am I ever going to meet this stupid deadline?” She made a high-pitched whining noise that made Yosuke’s ears hurt and started crying again. “I can’t do this, I’m going to- I’m going to lose my whole career just because I can’t-“ The sound of loud wailing quickly returns.

“Shit… shit, Rise, you’ve gotta fucking calm down!” Yosuke shrieked, then regretted it instantly. “I mean, uh, it’s gonna be fine. You can do it. I mean, what’s one deadline? You’ll get it done and over with and not have to worry again.”

Rise stopped crying and shouted, “I have nothing but deadlines! All the time! Do you know how- do you know how stressed I am? I’m always so on edge I can barely sleep and I’m so tired all the time and I can’t even eat because it’s all so much!” She paused, as if remembering who she had called, and sighed. “I… I’m so sorry, Yosuke. I called you late at night just to cry and yell at you. I just need a break, I think. I don’t know if I can keep doing this when I’m fresh out of ideas and even more out of energy… you know? I just want to be me for a while, not the latest character of the month.”

Yosuke sighed, closing his eyes. He fought off a yawn. “I dunno, Rise… Why don’t you just finish this up and then go on vacation or something? I mean, summer’s not gonna last much longer at this point…” He tried not to fall asleep. “And you do sound like you’re way too stressed. If you can’t relax, how can you keep doing what you do at your best? You’re probably just writing whatever to get it out of the way, not because you actually wanna write… or I’d think so, at least.”

Rise sighed deeply, then there was the sound of movement and what was likely her falling back onto her bed. “You’re right… I can’t work like this. I might give myself a little time to relax and then plot a bit more. After this, I’m definitely taking a break. I can’t keep running myself ragged like this. Um… thanks, Yosuke, for listening. I know you’re probably super tired so I’ll let you get some sleep. Night!” She ended the call as abruptly as she had started it.

Yosuke dropped the phone down somewhere, unable to summon the energy to put it in a less dangerous place. “What the fuck was that…” He yawned again, shifting closer to Souji and pressing his face into his neck. “I’m going to sleep. You go ahead and do your creepy cat stare thing, I don’t even care…” He eventually drifted off to sleep like that, not even waiting for a response.


	11. Go-Go Shirogane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back w a chapter finally! but tbh i'm half-asleep so if there are errors i apologize. i'll probably go back and look it over tomorrow but i wanted to get a chapter out now that i have the time for once.
> 
> also i swear yosuke is weirdly easy to fall into the mindset of. just gotta have a lot of mental flailing lmao

“Kanji, for the last time, it’s gonna be fine,” Yosuke mumbled around a sip of coffee, fighting off a yawn. “Mostly. I don’t know who decided being awake at this hour was a good idea.”

“Uh… Yosuke… that was you,” Kanji said finally, looking confused. He uncomfortably slid his darkly tinted prescription glasses back up his nose. “Why wasn’t I allowed to wear my contacts again? I look like a loser, damn it.”

“It’s… it’s a disguise,” Yosuke mumbled, tugging his hoodie a bit higher over his head at that. He adjusted his sunglasses for good measure, then took another sip of his coffee as he rocked back on his heels. “Naoto said to keep things on the down low. Look normal. Stuff like that. What’s more normal than a couple hungover bros hanging out and trying to be less of a zombie before class on Monday morning?”

“…I could’a just wore my sunglasses,” Kanji muttered irritably, crossing his arms. “I hate these damn glasses. My ma said I need ‘em just in case, though, so…”

Yosuke glanced away for a moment, seeing a familiar figure heading towards them. He smiled slightly, waving a hand in greeting and ignoring the way Kanji was spluttering at someone behind him. “Hey, Naoto. Looking good.”

Naoto narrowed their eyes behind false hipster glasses, tugging at their scarf. “Don’t mock me. I had Rise help me pick out an outfit and… well…” They shrugged. “This is the result.” They glanced behind Yosuke, raising an eyebrow. “You brought two of them? I doubt we’ll need that much help, but… it never hurts to be cautious. Good thinking, Yosuke.”

Yosuke froze up, coffee cup pressed against his mouth. _Oh fuck… I told Kanji to keep his mouth shut. I’m in deep shit now, aren’t I? With the way my magic’s feeling, he must be really pissed._ He slowly took a drink before turning around to meet Souji’s eyes, ignoring the way his magic flowed through his entire being in a nervous, jittery manner that left him feeling rather twitchy. He forced a smile and let out a weak, half-choked laugh; it sounded more like the noise a balloon makes when it deflates but it’s the thought that counts, right? “Uh… y-yeah… Nice of you to finally show up, Souji.”

Souji smiled coldly, anger practically dancing in his grey eyes. He let out a breath of freezing air and Yosuke shivered. “Thanks for inviting me… Wouldn’t want to miss out on the meeting with a dangerous person, right? I mean… it’d be possibly life-threatening if you hadn’t invited me or something…” His eyes narrowed. “Wouldn’t it?”

Naoto sighed, adjusting the huge frames from the slow descent down their nose. “I hope it won’t be, but… I don’t trust this woman at all. I can feel there’s something off with her… something strongly unnatural.” They wrinkled their nose. “I will get to the bottom of it. I have every intentions of handling this situation with care, you need not worry.” They were starting to walk, Yosuke hurrying to fall into step with them to avoid having to fall into step with the person glaring daggers into the back of his head.

Yosuke ran a hand through his hair. “So… Kanji, when did you get the chance to invite Souji to tag along?” he asked casually, but the way his magic swirled around him agitatedly betrayed him.

Kanji chuckled awkwardly. “Well, y’see… Souji and I were trai- uh, I mean-“ He looked at Naoto and bit his lip, gnawing at it uncomfortably as he tried to think of something else. “I was teaching him to knit, okay! Guy can’t even handle a cross-stitch. He’s hopeless. So I, uh, ended up bringing up my plans for tomorrow… and hell, if he wanted to tag along…” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Can’t exactly stop the guy, y'-”

Naoto stopped abruptly, eyes going wide as they saw Yukiko sitting in one of the outdoor café seats. She held a mug of something steaming hot in her hands, narrowed brown eyes flickering with red as she stared at everyone around her.

Naoto muttered a curse under their breath, gripping their pendant through their shirt like a lifeline. They glanced back at Kanji, Yosuke, and Souji, immediately able to tell the first two had been struck with a sudden interest in the alluring woman. “Keep an eye on them, please. I’ll handle this… conversation,” they murmured to Souji before adopting an uncharacteristically shy, nervous smile and walking over towards Yukiko.

Yosuke stared, unsure what to think of Naoto without their usual confident and regal persona in place. His attention was quickly caught on Yukiko again, however, and he sighed dreamily with a dopey smile. _She’s so pretty… I really wanna talk to her, but-_ He frowned, glancing over at Souji who had an arm around his waist. _So fucking gay! And in public, too! What the heck!_ He shook his head and looked back to the conversation to see that Naoto had sat down across from Yukiko, a blush across their face as they stumbled over their words in a way that was nothing like the detective's calm, careful speech at all.

Yukiko smiled coyly, resting her chin on her palm. She murmured something seemingly flirtatious, eyelashes fluttering.

Naoto giggled nervously, something Yosuke swore on his life he’d never seen them do before, and shifted slightly with their foot resting under them so that they could get a boost in height to lean closer across the table. Yosuke watched as Yukiko slowly started to bridge their gap and saw Naoto slightly flick their tongue out to wet their lips, a flash of something silver barely a speck of color at the distance from the scene.

Yukiko recoiled suddenly, the flicker of red in her eyes fading out into a more normal dark brown. She giggled, leaning forward again and tracing her fingers along Naoto’s lips ever so carefully. There was a hint of hesitation, but she pulled away and stood. She walked over to Naoto’s side of the table, leaning over to murmur something in their ear and tracing the earlobe with her lips. Then she gave a wave and left, disappearing into the crowd.

Yosuke stared at her leaving, wide-eyed and stunned. “What… what the fuck just happened,” he muttered as Naoto started walking back over to them.

Kanji blushed, tugging off his glasses. “I, uh… I think she just kissed her- I mean-”

Naoto sighed, pulling off their glasses as well. “Them. It’s they/them pronouns, if you would be so kind as to use them.” They glanced over to Yosuke, unimpressed. “Chie’s girlfriend is a fae. I have an iron stud on my tongue just to test for them considering their flirtatious nature at times. It seems it was a right hunch to have, even though I’d had my doubts considering how strongly she can make heads turn… The sheer amount of power required…” They shook their head. “It’s enormous. We’re dealing with a very strong fae woman, I can tell you that. Whatever she has planned for Chie… it can’t be good.”

Kanji looked confused, tilting his head. “Wha? A fae? Is that some kinda… mystical crap?”

“A fairy, Kanji,” Souji murmured before glancing over towards Yosuke and Naoto. “What exactly did you find out?” His harsh gaze landed on Yosuke, though his words were clearly directed towards Naoto. Yosuke fought the urge to squirm from discomfort.

“She seems fairly confident in her abilities. I fooled her into thinking I was taken with her and she invited me to join her near Inaba’s lake. She claimed it was private and a place she liked to think at, but then added that she knew of more pleasurable activities that could be done there with two people. While she was implying we would be having intercourse, I believe she actually intends to kidnap or kill me. The first idea is rather strange, though… After all, don’t fae usually only take human children?” Naoto looked at Souji curiously and he nodded.

Yosuke smirked at Naoto. “You’re short enough to be a close fit, I guess.”

Naoto glared at him, but didn't dignify his words a response. “I will see you both at midnight, I presume?” After receiving nods, they started to head towards home.

Kanji stared after them, then glanced at Yosuke and Souji. He sighed and ran after Naoto, nervously shouting, “W-wait up, I’ll- uh, I’ll walk you home! Could be dangerous all by yourself.” Naoto’s reply was too quiet to be heard and eventually the two faded out of sight.

Yosuke looked over towards Souji who just gave him a look that screamed agitation. He shuddered as the air grew colder in slow increments, little hints of ice creeping along the edges of the pavement. He started to walk towards home, only knowing Souji was following along after him because of the sounds of his footsteps.

As soon as they entered the apartment, Souji floated a couple inches off the ground and hovered over Yosuke with a glare as his human appearance melts away. “Yosuke, what was the point in leaving me out of the loop when I made sure you were aware how dangerous it can be without me there to keep an eye on you? Are you actively suicidal or just plain stupid? Your fragile mortal vessel is holding onto what is now my property and I’d like to get it in one piece!”

Yosuke looked at him, mouth open to speak but nothing coming out. He closed it again, twisting his hands and wondering why that last part stung.

“You could have been killed, you idiotic mortal, and if I had to drag your soul from the hands of some powerful fae woman…” Souji snarled, eyes flashing bright as lightning flashed in the distance. The air was thick with the scent of ozone.

Yosuke’s magic fluttered around in agitation, unable to settle down. He forced it out on something in his room, not sure what the hell it hit but hearing something crash. He winced. _Please be something cheap, please be something cheap._ “I’m… sorry?” he eventually forced out, fighting the crushing disappointment that only seemed to grow. “I’ll… I’ll be more careful with my soul or whatever, okay, just chill out. You’re kinda freaking me out here, dude.”

Souji floated over, landing on his feet with a solid thud. He glared down at Yosuke, grabbed his chin fairly gently considering how pissed off he looked, and then dragged him into a kiss. Yosuke’s eyes went wide in alarm, but eventually squeezed shut against the strange look in Souji’s eyes. He focused on the feeling of an arm wrapping around his waist and on the warmth it brought, trying not to wonder why all of his magic suddenly seemed to settle around him when it really should’ve seen this situation as a threat. He hesitantly pressed his hands against Souji’s chest, unsure what to do with himself. He didn’t shove him off, though he wan’t really sure why.

Souji pulled back slightly, but his other arm drifted down to keep Yosuke from squirming away and fleeing like he clearly wanted to. “Stupid mortal, your soul belongs to me. I will protect you, whether you want it or not. I want to see my investment come to fruition as promised.”

Yosuke trembled, not sure what the hell to feel. Eventually he settled on really fucking embarrassed, deciding the rest of it was too hard to figure out with his brain stuttering to a halt over having been kissed again. _What the fuck, that was hot! Wait, that’s gay, fuck fuck fuck-_ “U-um,” he managed to choke out. “…Cool?”

Souji narrowed his eyes, clearly unimpressed by the response. He leaned back in and kissed Yosuke again more forcefully, going so far as to lightly bite at his bottom lip and elicit a shocked whimper that seems more confused than pained.

Yosuke eventually pushed Souji off him, breathless and red in the face. He was shaking a little, not sure what the hell happened but painfully aware that he enjoyed every goddamn bit of it. _Fuck me! Wait, no, no, not like that! Fuck. Oh no. Shit. If I’m gay… that’s- It’s- I can’t be. I like girls. But… maybe… Souji could- No. Yes. I don’t know. I could be bi? I don’t wanna like guys, shit. That’s so weird._ “W-what the hell was that, h-huh?” he asked, trying to sound accusing. Mostly he thought he just sounded like a little kid about to burst into tears which felt like an accurate enough comparison at the moment so he didn’t even bother to mentally beat himself up over it.

“Say you’ll let me protect you and I’ll stop,” Souji said, stepping back into Yosuke’s space with a hungry look in his eyes.

Yosuke took a step back, but he wasn’t followed. “Okay! Fine! You can protect me, go ahead, I don’t care! I’m just- I’m gonna go take a nap so you do whatever you have to do and I’ll be… yeah.” He rushed off into his room and crawled under the covers, not even bothering to undress. 

Just as he was starting to drift off, he heard the sounds of footsteps and let an irritated huff out into the air. He felt movement and then warmth at his back before he was pulled against Souji’s chest. Normally he’d fight it kicking and screaming because a dude was literally cradling him in his arms, what the fuck, but he was far too tired to deal with this right now. He muttered something incomprehensible even to himself and then drifted off to sleep.


	12. Scenes From A Night's Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for the wait! i've been really busy with the end of the semester and work. :/ this chapter kind of got away from me a little, but i like how it turned out.

Yosuke was buried beneath every blanket he could find on his bed. He’d been sulking there for hours after Naoto had kindly informed him over the phone that Yukiko had contacted them, apparently having acquired the number through Chie. They had coolly mentioned that they wouldn’t be meeting up until nearly the end of July. Naoto had apparently claimed that the lantern festival would be in full-swing soon and pointed out that a clandestine meeting couldn’t be clandestine with the entire town around, but Yosuke was very sure it was just an excuse for them to get more time to prepare. That gave him plenty of time alone with the demonic elephant in the room, but he was determined to ignore it until it went away.

His magic wasn’t handling the situation much better than he was, sensing his frazzled state of mind. Something else came crashing to the ground and he groaned, not wanting to find out what he broke next. There were a couple of noises, likely Souji having noticed the mess, and then the sound of footsteps coming closer to his room. The door opened and soon enough there was an added weight to the mattress, causing it to dip under it.

Yosuke huffed in irritation, but made his way partially out of his blanket cocoon to glance at Souji. “You’re still here? I already told you we don’t have anything important to do.”

Souji came closer, leaning over Yosuke with an expression of haughty defiance. The temperature dropped dramatically fast and Yosuke involuntarily shivered from the chill. “I need to be here. Your magic has already destroyed two lamps, ten CDs, and what I believe happens to be some of your mom’s fine china.”

Yosuke bit his lip, leaning back as far as he could get to keep some distance. “It’s fine. I can get more lamps and CDs. Plus, it wasn’t fine china. My mom thinks I’m too clumsy to trust with it so… those were probably found in a thrift shop.” He looks away. “Can you just… give me a little space?”

Souji shook his head no, stubbornly staring him down. “Not until I know that you won’t be a danger to yourself or other mortals.”

Yosuke groaned in frustration, flopping back down on the bed. A gust of wind smacked right into Souji at the same time, but he didn’t even seem to notice. “I’d be fine if you just gave me a break. Come on. Go do whatever you have to do in the land down under.”

“I think I’d prefer to stay here with you.” Souji glanced down at him and shifted slightly, his arms coming down on either side of Yosuke to bracket him in. “You said I was allowed to protect you. Are you going back on your word?”

Yosuke glared up at him, face feeling hot from their position. “…No,” he eventually stated, turning his head away. “You can get off me now.”

Souji laughed quietly and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Yosuke’s exposed neck. He didn’t seem to notice the body under him suddenly going stiff as a board. “Mortals are far livelier than the dead. I’ve never met one like you before, though… The constant defiance and awkwardness has its appeal, I suppose.”

Yosuke finally snapped out of it, reaching up to shove Souji’s face away from him. “G-get off! That’s not funny. Stop messing with me like this.” He wasn’t sure how to feel, his discomfort at the sudden physical affection warring with his pleasure at the idea of being someone special enough to surprise a god. “If I say no, you can’t keep- keep kissing me and getting up in my space and making me nervous. It’s not cool, okay?”

Souji stared down at him, head cocked to the side. “Why not?”

“Because no means no!” Yosuke threw his hands up in frustration, nearly smacking Souji in the face. “And I know you said it was to feel my soul or whatever, but that makes it even creepier! I don’t want you kissing me! You’re a guy!”

“…You don’t?” Souji asked after a couple awkward moments of silence. He seemed confused. “But… you’re clearly attracted to me. That’s why it’s so painless even when I am checking on your soul while kissing you. If I choose to do that, of course.” He paused. “And what difference does gender make?”

Yosuke frowned. “No… I-I… I really-“ He squeezed his eyes shut so he didn’t have to look Souji in the eyes, thinking back to their kiss. His face burned from humiliation and… something else. _Fuck!_ “Look. I might like it, but it doesn’t mean anything. It’s probably got more to do with magical compatibility… and stuff.” He hesitated for a moment and then asked, “What do you mean if you choose to do that? Wasn’t that what you were doing now?”

“…Yosuke, you’re aware that you’re very weak to my main element… aren’t you?” Souji asked after a moment, watching as Yosuke’s eyes flew open in shock. “And I wasn’t checking on your soul after the first time since that left it more susceptible to my mental touch. I should have realized I was behaving like a fool. Being around you makes me act rashly… protectively… idiotically.” He sighed. “And I was flirting in the way I know best. Seduction. It’s been a few decades since I’ve tried in earnest. It seems mortals don’t respond well to forcefulness anymore. Sensible, really.”

Yosuke stared at him in stunned silence, his face heating up. He rolled over so he didn’t have to look at him anymore, burying his face in the pillow. “No way! That’s not possible! You can’t w-want me…” He trembled, feeling terribly insecure and… well, maybe a little pissed off. “Not like that! I told you not to mess with me!”

Souji turned him around, ignoring the gust of wind that slapped him in the face with the action.

“Just leave me alone, man!” Yosuke shrieked a little quietly, mostly out of fear of the neighbors reporting him again for disturbing the quiet. He felt like a rubber band stretched so far he was about to snap and when that happened… there would be tears. _Why am I like this? Shit, shit, shit, this is so fucking embarrassing._

“Yosuke… I do want you.” Souji looked down at him, seeming painfully sincere. He huffed out a disbelieving laugh, smiling down at him rather menacingly in Yosuke’s opinion. “I refuse to toy with your emotions. I want every part of you. I want to protect you… and I want to hold you close… and I want to kiss you senseless until you forget everything aside from the fact that I’ve got you right here where I want you.” His eyes flashed, literally flashed. It was creepy as hell.

Yosuke felt the pressure of tears building and quickly threw an arm over his eyes. “W-what the hell, man! That’s… that was sweet until you said that last thing. That part was creepy. And kinda pervy.” He took a couple calming breaths, latching onto the pulsing of his magic to attempt to calm himself down. It wrapped around him like a blanket, warm and comforting and soothing in its strangeness. He removed his arm to look him in the eyes. “I… I mean, if you really do like me and you’re not fucking with me… maybe we could try something out. But if I say no, back off. Got it?”

Souji nodded. “I will be on my best behavior,” he whispered into Yosuke’s ear, pressing a kiss to the patch of skin behind it.

Yosuke shuddered, leaning away slightly with a blush. “…You’re so full of shit. If you pull anything I’m not cool with, I’m using my wind powers to kick your ass.”

“I’m sure you could,” Souji said soothingly, but the look in his eyes betrayed his tone.

“Fuck off. I really will.” He shoved him away and rolled out of the blankets, tugging on a pair of jeans. He held up his arm, sniffing at the pit of his shirt. He grimaced and pulled it off, rolling it up into a ball before tossing it into a corner of the room. “Let’s visit Teddie,” he suggested, pulling on another shirt. “We don’t have much else to do, right?”

“I haven’t seen him in a while,” Souji admitted after a moment, floating over to him. He opened the portal and wrapped a hand around Yosuke’s wrist before he dragged them both through. He closed it again without even looking back, his attention likely more focused on the strangeness of their surroundings.

If the fog had been thick before, well, it was much thicker now. The fog was a dark black, almost like tar floating in the air. Yosuke coughed a couple times, stumbling away from Souji and proceeding to trip over something immediately. He fell on his ass, just staring up into the inky darkness floating around them oppressively. “I hate this fucking place.”

Souji sighed. “Yosuke… I know you aren’t going to like this, but you’re about as capable of making your way through here as a mortal kitten and I want to find Teddie quickly. Something isn’t right here.”

Just as Yosuke was about to question what exactly that meant, he felt an arm hooking under his legs and another supporting his back. “Souji, you better not be about to do what I think you’re about to do,” he hissed, just in time for him to be lifted up in a bridal carry. “I hate you. So much.”

Souji pressed a kiss to the top of his head, making a vaguely apologetic noise. “It’s easier this way.” He started walking to find Teddie, able to see slightly better than the human in his arms. “I think that might be…”

“Heeeeelp me!” Teddie shouted, running over to them. He popped off the head of his costume, revealing his teary-eyed face and disgustingly snot-dripping nose. “I’m in the most unbearably terrible situation! Waaaaaaaah!”

Yosuke opened his mouth, likely to say something unhelpful and a little bit rude. He was jostled in Souji’s arms and glared up at the smirking god, but shut his trap to let him handle it nonetheless. “Hmph… such a freaking jerk…”

Souji made sympathetic noises in all the right places and somehow managed to drag out Teddie’s story, even if there was a lot of blubbering throughout it. Apparently the overwhelming amount of magic used had woken up a particularly powerful ancient soul and said ancient soul was not particularly happy about the disturbance. Teddie seemed to think it was Morpheus, mostly because anytime he tried to sleep he had to claw himself out of a horrible nightmare that lingered even when he’d woken up completely. 

Yosuke blinked a couple times. “Huh… I didn’t know Morpheus was real… So what do we have to do?”

“Find him.” Souji adjusted his hold on Yosuke again and started walking, glancing back at Teddie when he continued to stand there fearfully. “You’re coming with me, aren’t you? Unless you want to be all alone… forever…”

Teddie made an ungodly noise of terror and ran after him.

Yosuke snickered quietly at the two, trying to hide his smirk behind his hand. “Geez… that’s some tough love there. Uh, but what do we do when we find him?”

“Bargain for our lives,” Souji said easily, glancing around. “Now that I know the owner’s name, I can sense that this is his domain. It’s dreamy and unreal, even if it’s become overcome by darkness… I guess that just shows how distorted the minds of mortals have become over the years.”

Yosuke and Teddie shared a worried look, but quickly turned their attention in front of them when two large sets of gates appeared through the fog. The first, made from ivory, pointed out towards the west. The second, made from horn, pointed out towards the east. In the middle of both of them, there was a giant throne upon which an elderly man sat. He had a very long nose and a dreamy smile.

“Morpheus… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” Souji said slowly, as if testing the words in his mouth for flaws even as he spoke them.

“Call me Igor, young fool,” Igor said coolly, leaning forward in his throne. He steepled his hands together in front of his face, gazing down at Souji without a hint of kindness in his eyes. “You do not belong here. Not a single one of you.”

Teddie looked about to say something, but Souji shushed him. He nodded at Igor. “You’re correct. I understand that this is now your domain. I apologize for the intrusion and I hope you’ll be kind enough to let us leave with our lives.”

“Hmmm… I must admit, it sounds much more appealing to watch you all squirm. I could easily distort your memories, bringing your hidden fears and desires out to attack you so violently you would wish for nothing short of death… and as they continued to assault you without so much as a break, you would lose sight of everything but the here and now… and in a fit of instability, you would take your own lives with the magic you covet within your souls.” Igor laughed, watching as two out of the three started trembling faintly. “But I am still a bit tired, you see, and I suppose there would be much displeasure from some powerful gods if I were to kill an important figure in handling the dead… Leave now and I’ll let you escape with your lives.”

As he spoke, a woman had appeared at his shoulder. Her long blonde hair had been pulled up and she was covered in weapons, some of which were distinguishable for their similarities to mortal weapons while others confused Yosuke as to their purpose. “Master,” she said slowly as she eyed the three standing before his throne. “Do you wish for me to defeat these intruders?” She was slowly reaching for what appeared to be a very long sickle-sword.

Igor was silent for a few moments. He eventually shook his head. “Have patience, Margaret. Fate’s hand has been played and your actions will be clear to you soon.”

During their conversation, the others were coming to the decision that leaving was a brilliant idea. Souji opened a portal and all three of them exited as quickly as possible before it was shut forcefully behind them.

Souji let Yosuke down gently, turning his gaze onto Teddie. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

Teddie shook his head, looking down sadly. “I can’t stay here… I can’t hold the human form right yet. Building a new body’s hard enough, but keeping that body? It’s even worse. I can maintain the basic shape, but other parts… change. My eyes will become all whited out or shadowy slime will start crawling all over my skin…”

“You’ll have to live in the Underworld for now until I can find you some other accommodations, then. It might be a while… what with the paperwork and all…” Souji sighed, rubbing at his temples.

Teddie lit up, thanking Souji over and over. “I’m really happy to stay there with you! I’ll be on my best behavior!”

Souji nodded, opening the portal for him. He watched as Teddie sprinted through, clearly amused.

Yosuke watched Teddie leave before looking over at Souji. “See you later, then…?” he asked, feeling a little bit awkward. 

Souji glanced at the portal, at Yosuke, and then back at the portal. He smirked and walked over to Yosuke. “I’ll be back soon, my delightful mortal.” He cupped his face gently, pulling him into a quick kiss… and bit his lip.

Yosuke pulled back abruptly, looking annoyed. “Stop it with the biting already! I’m not a five course meal, dude!”

“You are pretty tasty, though…” Souji smirked at him. He was shoved through the portal.

“Ugh… I made a terrible choice.” Yosuke sighed loudly and left to go figure out what to do about all the messes he’d caused with his magic. Figuring out what to do with a flirty god could wait... for-fucking-ever.


End file.
